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THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  ILLINOIS 

LIBRARY 

Presented  in  1916 

by 
President  Edmund  J*  James 

in  memory  of 
Amanda  K.  Casad 


C  3I.fi 
cop.3 


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UNIVERSITY    OF    ILLINOIS    LIBRARY    AT    URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


1713* 
MAR  1  9 


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ILLINOIS 
STATE  HISTORICAL  LIBRARY 


BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 

EVARTS  BOUTELL  GREENE,  President 
CHARLES  HENRY  RAMMELKAMP,  Vice  President 
OTTO  LEOPOLD  SCHMIDT,  Secretary 


JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER,  Librarian 


ADVISORY  COMMISSION 

EVARTS  BOUTELL  GREENE 

JAMES  ALTON  JAMES 

ANDREW  CUNNINGHAM  MCLAUGHLIN 

WILLIAM  AUGUSTUS  MEESE 

EDWARD  CARLETON  PAGE 

CHARLES  HENRY  RAMMELKAMP 

CLARENCE  WAL WORTH  ALVORD,  ex  officio 


REPORT  OF  THE  BOARD  OF  TRUSTEES 


OF  THE 


ILLINOIS  STATE  HISTORICAL  LIBRARY 


TO  THE  FORTY-NINTH  GENERAL  ASSEMBLY 
OF  THE  STATE  OF  ILLINOIS  ON  THE 


INVESTIGATION  OF  THE 
LINCOLN  WAY 


PUBLISHED  BY  THE  TRUSTEES  OF  THE 

ILLINOIS  STATE  HISTORICAL  LIBRARY 

SPRINGFIELD,    ILLINOIS 
1915 


ILLINOIS  PRINTING  COMPANY 
DANVILLE,  ILLINOIS 


URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  February  20,  1915. 

Speaker  and  Members  of  the  House  of  Represent- 
atives of  the  Forty -Ninth  General  Assembly. 

GENTLEMEN  : 

The  Forty-Seventh  General  Assembly  adopted  the 
following  as  House  Joint  Resolution  no.  25 : 

" WHEREAS,  The  People  of  the  State  of  Illinois,  ever 
mindful  of  their  deep  and  lasting  obligation  to  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  with  abiding  love  and  reverence  do  strive 
continually  to  honor  his  name  and  memory;  and 

"WHEREAS,  It  is  the  sense  of  the  People  of  Illinois 
that  a  fitting  and  permanent  memorial  to  the  memory 
of  the  great  emancipator  would  be  the  consecration 
and  dedication  of  the  route  that  he  traveled  from  the 
place  of  his  birth  in  Kentucky,  through  Indiana,  and 
thence  to  his  tomb  at  Springfield,  to  be  known  forever 
as  the  'Lincoln  Way';  and, 

"WHEREAS,  At  its  last  session  the  legislature  of  Ken- 
tucky enacted  a  law  naming  the  route  over  which 
Abraham  Lincoln  traveled  from  his  home  at  Hodgeville 
[Hodgensville]  to  Indiana,  'The  Lincoln  Way,'  and,  in 
the  hope  that  the  state  of  Indiana  will  join  the  states 
of  Kentucky  and  Illinois  in  establishing  and  completing 
this  fitting  memorial;  therefore,  be  it 

"Resolved,  by  the  House  of  Representatives,  the  Senate 
concurring  therein,  That  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Illinois  State  Historical  Library  be  and  they  are 
hereby  requested  to  make  the  necessary  investigations 
to  determine  the  exact  route  traveled  by  Abraham 

Vli 

.1.01221 


Lincoln  in  his  removal  from  Kentucky  to  Illinois,  and 
to  report  to  the  General  Assembly  at  as  early  a  date 
as  possible,  and  make  such  recommendations  as  they 
deem  advisable  to  carry  out  the  purposes  of  this  reso- 
lution. 

" Adopted  by  the  House  May  2,  1911. 

" Concurred  in  by  the  Senate  May  9,  1911." 

The  Forty-Eighth  General  Assembly,  in  section  1, 
paragraph  52  of  "An  Act  to  provide  for  the  ordinary 
and  contingent  expenses  of  the  State  Government 
until  the  expiration  of  the  fiscal  quarter  after  the 
adjournment  of  the  next  regular  session  of  the  General 
Assembly,"  appropriated  the  sum  of  $1,000  for  the 
expenses  of  this  work.  In  accordance  with  these  pro- 
visions the  board  of  trustees  of  the  Illinois  State  His- 
torical Library  appointed  Dr.  Charles  M.  Thompson  to 
conduct  an  investigation  to  determine,  so  far  as  prac- 
ticable, the  route  traversed  by  Abraham  Lincoln  in  his 
journey  from  Indiana  to  his  new  home  in  Illinois  in 
1830.  Dr.  Thompson  has  completed  his  investigations 
and  embodied  his  conclusions  in  the  report  which  is 
transmitted  herewith. 

It  will  be  seen  that  the  long  period  of  time  which  has 
elapsed,  and  the  almost  entire  absence  of  first-hand 
documentary  evidence  make  it  impossible  to  indicate 
with  certainty  the  details  of  the  route  actually  followed. 
The  principal  stages  in  the  journey  may,  however,  be 
considered  as  established  beyond  a  reasonable  doubt. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

EVARTS  B.  GREENE 

President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
Illinois  State  Historical  Library 


To  the  Trustees  of  the  Illinois  State  Historical  Library. 

GENTLEMEN:  I  herewith  submit  a  report  on  the 
"  Lincoln  Way"  investigation  which  was  undertaken  at 
your  request  three  years  ago.  The  evidence  gathered 
in  making  this  investigation  has  been  subjected  to  as 
thorough  a  criticism  as  has  been  possible.  Informa- 
tion about  definitely  located  points  on  the  "Way" 
has  necessarily  come  directly  or  indirectly  from  mem- 
bers of  the  Lincoln  party.  The  greater  part  of  the 
labor  connected  with  the  investigation,  however,  has 
had  to  do  with  the  testing  of  the  accuracy  of  this 
information. 

Without  a  single  notable  exception  the  people  when- 
ever called  on  for  assistance  have  co-operated  to  make 
the  investigation  a  success.  To  all  those  who  have 
assisted  in  this  work,  I  desire  here  to  express  my  grati- 
tude; a  few  because  of  their  untiring  efforts  in  this 
connection  deserve  individual  mention.  James  Wade 
Emison  of  Vincennes,  Indiana;  Abraham  Harrison  of 
West  Union;  William  T.  Hollenbeck  and  Harry  W. 
Drake  of  Marshall;  John  F.  Lafferty  and  James  Nichols 
of  Martinsville;  W.  O.  Bennett  and  George  S.  Boul- 
ware  (deceased)  of  Charleston;  Joseph  Warren  Thomp- 
son of  Chicago;  James  A.  Steele  of  Sullivan;  Jacob  T. 
Zimmer  of  Shelbyville,  and  Robert  W.  Ross  of  Van- 
dalia,  have  assisted  in  locating  early  roads,  land  en- 
tries, settlements,  fords,  and  ferries.  Mrs.  Harriet 
Chapman  of  Charleston,  Joseph  A.  Hall,  Abraham 
Lincoln  Hall,  and  Mrs.  J.  D.  Martin  of  Janes ville,  and 


D.  H.  Bowling  of  Springfield,  all  of  whom  belong  to 
what  may  be  termed  the  Lincoln  family,  have  trans- 
mitted to  this  investigation  the  information  about  the 
"Way"  which  they  had  received  from  their  elders. 
Jesse  W.  Weik  of  Greencastle,  Indiana,  who  colabored 
with  Mr.  Herndon  in  one  of  the  best  known  biographies 
of  Mr.  Lincoln,  has  kindly  furnished  from  his  manu- 
script collection  an  account  of  an  interview  with  the  late 
Colonel  Augustus  H.  Chapman  of  Charleston.  E.  S. 
Clayton  of  Martinsville,  and  Byron  R.  Lewis  of  Bridge- 
port, have  rendered  valuable  service  in  carrying  on  a 
campaign  of  publicity  and  in  gathering  data.  The 
librarians  and  attendants  of  the  University  of  Illinois 
library,  Harvard  University  library,  Boston  public 
library,  Indiana  state  library,  Illinois  state  library, 
Illinois  State  Historical  Library,  Chicago  public  library, 
Chicago  Historical  Society  library,  and  the  Mercantile 
Library  (St.  Louis)  have  facilitated  the  examination  of 
printed  material  on  early  Illinois.  I  am  under  special 
obligations  to  Professor  Clarence  W.  Alvord,  editor  of 
the  Illinois  Historical  Collections,  for  his  helpful  criti- 
cism while  preparing  the  report. 

Respectfully  submitted, 

CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON 


THE  INVESTIGATION  OF  THE 
LINCOLN  WAY 


BY 

CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON 

UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS 


THE   INVESTIGATION   OF  THE 
LINCOLN  WAY 

The  " Lincoln  Way"  is  the  route  traveled  by  the 
Lincolns  in  moving  from  Indiana  to  Illinois  in  1830; 
and  to  determine  the  location  of  the  Illinois  section  of 
this  route  has  been  the  purpose  of  the  ''Lincoln  Way" 
investigation.  Recently  the  expressions  ' '  Lincoln  High- 
way" and  "Lincoln  Trail"  have  been  applied  to  the 
several  ocean  to  ocean  automobile  highways,  with 
the  result  that  the  similarity  in  names  and  expressions 
has  caused  confusion  and  misunderstanding.  The 
method  pursued  has  been  twofold:  (1)  to  determine 
as  many  points  as  possible  through  which  the  Lin- 
colns passed  in  moving  to  Illinois;  (2)  to  gather  data  on 
the  roads,  trails,  ferries,  fords,  rivers,  and  settlements 
in  the  neighborhood  of  these  points. 

This  journey  into  Illinois,  not  unlike  thousands  of 
others  in  the  early  thirties,  was  necessarily  made  along 
poorly  constructed  roads  and  Indian  trails.  Although 
the  mania  for  a  network  of  wagon  roads  across  the 
state  was  already  being  felt,  it  was  not  until  three  or 
four  years  later  that  the  actual  construction  of  the  roads 
was  undertaken.  The  stages  of  water  in  the  rivers  and 
the  condition  of  the  adjacent  lowlands  must  have  in- 
fluenced the  selection  of  the  route  taken  in  going  from 
the  Wabash  country  to  Decatur.  On  the  one  hand 
there  would  have  been  the  desire  to  keep  away  from  the 

i 


2  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

lowlands;  on  the  other  the  possibility  of  being  able  to 
cross  the  rivers  at  natural  fords  situated  on  or  near  the 
established  roads  or  trails.  It  has  been  assumed,  in 
the  absence  of  proof  to  the  contrary,  that  the  Lincolns 
kept  as  far  as  possible  to  used  trails  and  roads,  and  that 
they  went  from  point  to  point  by  the  most  direct 
route.  Some  investigation  has  been  made  of  present- 
day  roads,  the  routes  of  which  approximate  that  trav- 
eled by  the  Lincolns,  but  such  investigations  have  been 
incidental  and  they  are  not  included  in  this  report. 

Close  relatives  of  Mr.  Lincoln  differ  as  to  the  exact 
number  composing  the  party,  which  left  Gentryville, 
Spencer  county,  Indiana,  about  March  1,  1830.  It  is 
certain,  however,  that  there  were  at  least  thirteen: 
Thomas  Lincoln,  his  wife  Sarah,  his  son  Abraham  and 
stepson  John  D.  Johnston;  Squire  Hall,  his  wife  Ma- 
tilda, and  their  son  John;  Dennis  Hanks,  his  wife 
Elizabeth,  and  their  four  children — Harriet  (Mrs.  Chap- 
man), John,  Sarah  Jane  (Mrs.  Bowling),  and  Nancy. 
There  are  also  differences  of  opinion  as  to  the  methods 
of  travel  and  means  of  transportation.  Some  have 
claimed  that  the  party  had  but  one  wagon,  others  two, 
and  still  others  three;  all  agree,  however,  that  heavy 
wagons  were  used  and  that  they  were  drawn  by  oxen, 
or  oxen  and  horses. 

The  route  taken  by  the  Lincolns  in  making  that  part 
of  the  journey  in  which  this  investigation  has  been 
concerned,  lay  in  eastern  Illinois,  in  what  were  then  the 
counties  of  Lawrence,  Crawford,  Clark,  Shelby,  and 
Macon.  These  five  counties  comprised  an  area  of  more 
than  five  thousand  square  miles  and  contained  in  1830 
less  than  fifteen  thousand  inhabitants.  Between  the 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  3 

Wabash  country  on  the  east  and  Decatur  and  Shelby- 
ville  on  the  west  there  was  not  one  important  town  or 
settlement.  Here  and  there  along  the  trails  leading  to 
the  settlements  on  the  Wabash  river  were  small  groups 
of  partly  improved  farms,  but  town  life  in  that  section 
had  not  begun.  Marshall,  Martinsville,  Casey,  Green- 
up,  Charleston,  Mattoon,  Sullivan,  and  Lovington  were 
yet  to  be  built.  Viewed  from  any  angle,  that  part  of 
Illinois  through  which  the  Lincolns  traveled  in  1830 
was  a  typical  unsettled  frontier.  After  having  traveled 
two  weeks  and  traversed  something  like  two  hundred 
and  twenty  miles,  the  party  reached  their  destination 
in  the  vicinity  of  Decatur,  Illinois,  about  March  15, 
1830. 

Needless  to  say,  in  the  determination  of  this  ''Lin- 
coln Way,"  the  first  problem  confronting  the  investi- 
gation has  been  to  ascertain  at  what  point  the  Lincolns 
crossed  from  Indiana  and  entered  Illinois.  An  exami- 
nation of  printed  material  early  in  the  investigation  led 
to  the  belief  that  they  passed  through  Vincennes, 
Indiana,  and  crossed  the  Wabash  river  into  Illinois  at 
or  near  that  city ;  and  subsequent  investigation  has  con- 
firmed that  belief.  Evidence  to  the  contrary  is  scant 
and  self -contradictory. 

As  to  the  place  and  manner  of  crossing  the  Wabash 
river,  there  is  a  sharp  difference  of  opinion.  Mr.  James 
Wade  Emison  and  others  believe  that  the  Lincolns 
traveled  northward  from  Vincennes  on  the  Indiana  \ 
side  of  the  river,  crossing  into  Illinois  at  the  Russell - 
ville  ford.  This  belief  is  founded  on  a  conversation 
between  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mr.  Emison's  grandfather, 
the  late  William  W.  C.  Emison.  (See  appendix  A.) 
In  the  conversation,  which  occurred  near  Mr.  Emison's 


4  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

home  north  of  Vincennes,  Mr.  Lincoln  is  reported  to 
have  said  that  the  party  was  then  on  its  way  to  the  ford 
where  Russell ville  was  later  built.  Mrs.  Harriet  Chap- 
man of  Charleston,  Illinois,  who  was  a  member  of  the 
Lincoln  party,  has  also  said  that  the  crossing  of  the 
Wabash  was  not  made  at  Vincennes.  (See  appendix 
B.)  No  documentary  evidence  has  been  submitted  to 
prove  that  the  ford  mentioned  by  Mr.  Emison  was  used 
at  the  time.  There  is,  however,  ample  evidence  in  the 
archives  of  Knox  county,  Indiana,  to  prove  the  exist- 
ence of  a  well-kept  wagon  road  on  the  Indiana  side  of 
the  river  leading  from  Vincennes  to  John  McCarty's 
ferry  on  the  Wabash,  west  of  Shakertown,  Indiana. 
The  exact  location  of  this  ferry  has  not  been  determined, 
but  from  the  general  description  of  its  location,  one  is 
led  to  believe  that  it  could  not  have  been  far  from  the 
site  of  Russellville.  Because  of  the  character  of  the 
evidence  and  the  integrity  of  the  men  presenting  it, 
the  conclusion  has  been  reached  that  the  Lincolns  went 
northward  from  Vincennes  on  the  Indiana  side  of  the 
river  intending  to  cross  into  Illinois  farther  up  the 
stream. 

Mr.  Lincoln  once  told  his  kinsman,  the  late  Colonel 
Augustus  H.  Chapman  of  Charleston,  Illinois,  that  the 
party  crossed  the  Wabash  river  into  Illinois  at  Vin- 
cennes and  went  westward  to  Lawrence  ville,  Illinois. 
(See  appendix  C.)  The  road  between  Lawrenceville 
and  Vincennes,  the  great  western  mail  route,  was  an 
old  and  well-established  one.  Several  ferries  were  in 
operation  on  the  Wabash  at  Vincennes  throughout  the 
year  1830,  and  the  crossing  of  the  river  at  that  point 
would  have  been  comparatively  easy. 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  5 

These  two  versions  of  the  same  event,  conflicting  as 
they  appear  to  be,  are  not  irreconcilable.  The  elder 
Mr.  Emison  knew  only  the  intentions  of  the  travelers. 
He  has  left  no  record  of  having  definite  information 
about  the  crossing  of  the  river,  and  there  is  no  evidence  to 
show  that  the  party  did  not  return  to  Vincennes  and 
cross  the  river  there.  Mrs.  Chapman  has  doubts  about 
the  matter.  Three  years  ago,  she  expressed  the 
opinion  that  the  party  crossed  the  river  at  Vincennes. 
Later,  on  learning  of  Mr.  Emison's  statement,  she  was 
inclined  to  agree  with  him,  and  so  expressed  herself. 
(See  appendix  B . )  She  has  stoutly  contended,  however, 
that  the  crossing  of  the  Wabash  was  made  by  ferrying 
and  not,  as  Mr.  James  Wade  Emison  believes,  by  ford- 
ing. There  is  no  reason,  therefore,  why  both  versions 
of  the  crossing  may  not  be  correct.  It  is  conceivable 
that  the  Lincolns  first  went  northward  from  Vincennes, 
intending  to  cross  the  river  above,  but  that  for  some 
reason  they  turned  back  and  crossed  at  Vincennes. 
Mrs.  Chapman's  uncertainty  about  the  crossing  would 
indicate  that  there  was  some  derangement  of  plans. 
In  the  light  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  statement  to  Colonel 
Chapman,  it  must  be  concluded  that  the  Lincolns 
crossed  the  Wabash  river  into  Illinois  at  Vincennes. 

After  crossing  the  Wabash  at  Vincennes,  the  Lincolns 
went  westward  along  the  great  western  mail  route 
to  Lawrenceville.  (See  appendix  C,  D.)  At  that 
point  they  turned  northward,  going  to  Palestine  in 
Crawford  county.  (See  appendix  B,  C,  D.)  In  the 
Preliminary  report  on  the  "Lincoln  Way,"  the  opinion 
was  expressed  that  traveling  in  the  spring  of  the  year 
through  the  low  lands  northeast  of  Lawrenceville 
would  have  been  extremely  difficult,  if  not  impossible. 


6  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

That  opinion  has  since  been  proved  to  be  incorrect; 
but,  because  it  may  be  held  by  others,  it  has  seemed 
advisable  to  say  something  about  the  routes  from  the 
Wabash  river  opposite  Vincennes  to  Palestine. 

Between  these  points  any  one  of  three  routes  might 
have  been  traveled.  (See  appendix  Q.)  One  route 
was  along  the  river  road,  which  paralleled  the  Wabash 
to  the  vicinity  of  the  site  of  Russell ville.  Another  led 
for  several  miles  along  the  great  western  mail  route 
toward  Lawrenceville,  and  thence  northward  through 
or  near  the  Christian  settlement  in  Allison  prairie. 
From  that  point  it  led  in  a  northeasterly  direction, 
converging  with  the  river  road  at  or  near  the  site  of 
Russell  ville.  These  two  routes  were  approximately 
equal  in  length.  The  third  route  was  along  the  great 
western  mail  route  to  Lawrenceville  and  thence  in  a 
northeasterly  direction  to  where  it  converged  with  the 
second  road  already  noticed.  In  going  to  Palestine  by 
the  way  of  Lawrenceville  the  Lincolns  were  compelled 
to  cross  the  Embarras  river  twice  and  to  travel  some 
ten  miles  farther  than  they  would  have  traveled  on 
either  of  the  other  roads.  The  crossing  of  the  Embarras 
river,  however,  would  have  been  comparatively  easy. 
At  the  time  there  were  two  ferries  in  operation  on  that 
river  at  Lawrenceville:  one  between  Vincennes  and 
Lawrenceville  on  the  great  western  mail  route;  the 
other  on  the  road  leading  northeastward  from  Lawrence- 
ville toward  the  Christian  settlement.  The  presence 
of  ferries  at  these  points  indicates  not  only  the  exist- 
ence of  roads,  but  also  their  use  for  travel.  The 
greatest  obstacle  to  the  use  of  the  road  from  Lawrence- 
ville to  the  Christian  settlement  in  the  spring  of  the 
year  would  have  been  the  water  in  what  was  called 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  7 

the  Purgatories,  a  stretch  of  low  land  lying  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  river  from  Lawrenceville.  In  this 
connection  a  study  of  the  conditions  of  travel  has  been 
made.  An  examination  of  the  issues  of  the  Western 
Sun  (published  at  Vincennes)  from  1815  to  1845,  leads 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  stage  of  water  in  the  Wabash 
at  Vincennes  was  lower  during  the  first  two  weeks  of 
March,  1830,  than  at  the  corresponding  time  in  any  of 
the  other  years  examined.  It  was  too  low  in  fact  for 
steamboat  navigation — an  unusual  condition  for  that 
season  of  the  year.  The  low  stage  of  the  river  does 
not  prove  that  the  road  across  the  Purgatories  was 
dry  or  even  above  water ;  it  merely  indicates  that  there 
is  a  strong  probability  that  such  was  the  case. 

Two  of  the  Lincoln  party  have  left  accounts  of  their 
movements  in  this  vicinity.  Mr.  Lincoln  and  Mrs. 
Dowling  state  positively  that  the  party  passed  through 
Lawrenceville  (see  appendix  C,  D),  and  their  state- 
ments are  supported  by  a  tradition  held  by  the  people 
of  that  city  and  vicinity.  (See  appendix  E.)  Assum- 
ing that  the  route  by  the  way  of  Lawrenceville  was 
longer  and  more  liable  to  inundation  than  either  of  the 
others,  it  is  not  improbable  that  considerations  weight- 
ier than  the  loss  of  the  better  part  of  a  day's  journey 
caused  the  travelers  to  take  the  longer  route.  If  the 
story  that  Mr.  Lincoln  carried  a  supply  of  merchandise 
to  sell  to  the  settlers  along  the  way  be  accepted  as 
true,  it  might  well  be  concluded  that  the  detour  was 
made  in  order  to  pass  through  the  Lawrenceville 
settlement.  It  is  also  probable  that  they  were  forced 
out  of  a  more  direct  route  by  demands  for  supplies 
procurable  only  at  Lawrenceville.  The  conclusion  has 
been  reached  that  the  Lincolns  went  westward  from  a 


8  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

point  on  the  Illinois  shore  of  the  Wabash  opposite 
Vincennes  to  Lawrenceville,  that  they  recrossed  the 
Embarras  river  at  Lawrenceville  and  went  in  a  north- 
easterly direction  through  or  near  the  Christian  set- 
tlement; that  they  came  into  the  river  road  at  or 
near  the  site  of  Russellville,  and  that  they  followed  the 
river  road  to  Palestine. 

From  Palestine  the  Lincolns  continued  northward 
through  Hutsonville  and  York  to  Darwin.  In  the 
Preliminary  report  the  opinion  was  held  that  the 
travelers  went  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from  York 
along  an  old  Indian  trail  known  to  have  been  in  use  at 
that  time.  (See  Preliminary  report  on  the  "Lincoln 
Way"  7,  8,  and  appendix  F.)  Mr.  Lincoln's  own 
statement  about  the  route  proves  that  opinion  to  have 
been  incorrect.  (See  appendix  C.) 

Another  point  believed  to  be  on  the  " Lincoln  Way" 
was  the  Paradise  settlement  near  the  headwaters  of  the 
Little  Wabash  river  in  what  is  now  the  western  part 
of  Coles  county.  (See  appendix  D,  G,  K.)  The  post- 
office  that  served  the  settlement  was  called  Paradise. 
(See  appendix  H.)  It  was  located  on  the  intersection 
of  the  Paris-Shelbyville  road  and  the  Little  Wabash 
river,  not  far  from  the  present  city  of  Mattoon.  In 
locating  the  general  route  from  the  Wabash  country 
to  Paradise  two  distinct  problems  have  arisen.  The 
first  has  to  do  with  the  general  direction  taken,  the 
second  with  the  crossing  of  the  Embarras  river  in  what 
was  then  Clark  county. 

Mrs.  Chapman  has  expressed  the  opinion  that  the 
Lincolns  traveled  northwesterly  from  the  Wabash 
country  until  the  national  road  was  reached;  that  they 
followed  this  road  to  the  site  of  the  village  of  Greenup, 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  9 

in  what  is  now  Cumberland  county,  where  they  crossed 
the  river,  and  that  they  went  from  that  point  to  Para- 
dise. (See  appendix  B.)  Mr.  Lincoln  told  a  kinsman, 
Colonel  Chapman,  that  the  party  passed  through  Rich- 
woods,  which  was  in  the  northern  part  of  Clark  county, 
and  about  three  miles  east  of  the  site  of  Westfield,  Illi- 
nois. (See  appendix  C.)  The  descendants  of  Squire 
Hall,  and  an  old  neighbor  of  Thomas  Lincoln,  believe 
that  the  Embarras  was  crossed  at  McCann's  ford, 
called  Logan's  ford  in  1830.  This  ford  is  situated 
about  a  mile  north  of  the  southern  boundary  of  Coles 
county  and  about  the  same  distance  from  the  Lincoln 
farm  in  the  same  county.  (See  appendix  G,  I.) 

Mrs.  Chapman  has  stated  that  she  heard  her  father, 
Dennis  Hanks,  "  speak  of  crossing  the  Embarras  river 
at  Greenup,  and  that  the  cause  of  said  Hanks  speaking 
of  this  event  repeatedly  was,  that  he  afterwards  worked 
on  a  bridge  built  at  that  point."  The  Halls,  who  have 
lived  practically  all  their  lives  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  McCann's  ford,  state  emphatically  that  they  have 
heard  their  father,  the  late  John  J.  Hall,  speak  of  cross- 
ing the  river  at  that  point.  A  search  has  failed  to 
prove  or  disprove  the  assertion  that  Mr.  Hanks 
assisted  in  building  the  bridge  at  Greenup.  It  is 
known,  however,  that  a  river  bridge  was  built  at  Mc- 
Cann's ford  in  the  forties;  and  it  is  the  opinion  of  the 
Halls  that  Mr.  Hanks  worked  on  that  bridge  and  not 
on  the  one  at  Greenup.  (See  appendix  G,  M.)  Mr. 
Hanks  lived  in  Charleston  at  the  time  he  is  supposed 
to  have  done  the  work  mentioned  above,  and  it  is  not 
improbable  that  he  spoke  of  working  on  a  bridge 
11  down  toward  Greenup,"  which  has  been  interpreted 


10  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

by  Mrs.  Chapman  to  mean  "at  Greenup."  Evidence 
presented  by  the  Halls  ought  to  be  given  great  weight 
in  this  matter.  They  grew  up  near  McCann's  ford, 
and  crossed  it  often  with  their  father,  who  was  inti- 
mately associated  with  Thomas  Lincoln  and  other 
members  of  the  party.  It  was  but  natural  for  the 
father  to  have  remarked  about  the  crossing  on  such 
occasions.  If  the  party  was  at  Rich  woods,  which  is 
assumed  to  be  a  fact  in  this  investigation,  McCann's 
ford  would  have  been  a  more-likely  crossing  place  than 
any  ford  at  the  site  of  Greenup. 

An  examination  of  facts  about  these  routes  may 
assist  in  reaching  a  determination.  So  far  as  is  known 
there  was  no  national  road  in  Illinois  in  March,  1830. 
It  was  not  until  September  and  October  of  that  year 
that  contracts  for  building  the  Illinois  part  of  the 
national  road  were  let.  Furthermore,  but  one  family 
lived  at  the  time  the  contracts  were  let  on  the  entire 
ninety  miles  of  the  road's  route  from  Vandalia,  Illinois, 
to  the  Indiana  state  line  west  of  Terre  Haute,  Indiana. 
(See  appendix  L.)  Even  though  the  route  of  the  road 
had  been  marked — and  there  is  no  evidence  at  hand 
to  prove  that  such  was  the  case — it  seems  improbable 
that  the  Lincolns  should  have  traveled  several  days 
through  an  uninhabited  country  when  by  making  a 
short  detour  northward  they  could  have  avoided  the 
bottoms  of  the  North  Fork  river  and  at  the  same 
time  could  have  passed  through  several  small  settle- 
ments in  the  northwestern  part  of  what  is  now  Clark 
county.  Moreover,  if  they  had  traveled  along  the 
route  of  the  national  road,  their  experiences  in  cross- 
ing Hurricane  creek  as  related  by  one  of  the  Halls  could 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  11 

not  have  occurred,  for  this  creek  flows  southward  and 
empties  into  the  Embarras  river  north  of  the  national 
road.  (See  appendix  G,  O.) 

That  a  road  led  from  McCann's  ford  westward  to  the 
Paradise  settlement  and  eastward  toward  Darwin, 
there  can  be  no  doubt.  (See  appendix  M.)  Soon 
after  the  organization  of  Coles  county  in  1831,  a  peti- 
tion was  presented  to  the  county  commissioners  pray- 
ing them  to  have  viewed  "a  county  road,  commencing 
on  the  Clark  County  line  at  the  head  of  long  point 
creek  on  a  path  now  used,  thence  west  to  the  Embarras 
River  at  what  is  called  Logan's  Ford  near  where  John 
McCann  now  lives  thence  through  Goosenest  prairie, 
near  Indian  creek,  thence  the  nearest  and  best  road 
to  Shelby  County  line  in  a  direction  to  Shelby ville." 
(See  appendix  N.)  An  examination  of  land  entries 
before  1830  shows  a  line  of  settlements  among  what 
appears  to  have  been  the  "path"  mentioned  in  the  pe- 
tition above.  Perhaps  the  best  reason  why  such  a 
road  must  have  existed  was  the  presence  of  settlers  west 
of  McCann's  ford.  Practically  all  these  settlers  had 
come  from  or  through  the  Wabash  settlements  in 
exactly  the  same  manner  as  did  the  Lincolns.  More- 
over it  was  necessary  for  them  to  keep  in  touch  with 
Darwin,  the  county  seat.  To  have  used  any  other 
ford  now  known  to  be  on  the  Embarras  would  have 
caused  the  settlers  in  going  to  Darwin  to  make  a 
detour  of  at  least  a  day's  journey. 

Two  other  points  in  Clark  county  appear  to  be  on 
the  "Way."  Mr.  Lincoln  told  Colonel  Chapman  that 
the  party  passed  through  Rich  woods.  Mr.  Robert 
Francis  of  Martins  ville,  Illinois,  has  presented  evidence 
to  show  that  the  Lincolns  passed  through  what  is  now 


12  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

the  western  side  of  Parker  township,  Clark  county. 
(See  appendix  P.)  From  Richwoods  to  Paradise  it 
appears  that  the  Lincolns  might  have  gone  by  one  of 
two  ways.  They  could  have  traveled  northwesterly, 
crossing  the  Embarras  river  at  a  point  near  the  site  of 
Charleston,  or  southwesterly  to  McCann's  ford.  The 
two  routes  were  approximately  the  same  length.  In 
going  to  McCann's  ford  they  could  have  passed  through 
the  point  indicated  by  Mr.  Francis  without  going  far 
from  a  direct  line.  Even  in  the  absence  of  positive 
proof  that  the  crossing  was  made  at  McCann's  ford, 
there  is  a  presumption  that  the  crossing  was  not  made 
near  Charleston.  If  the  Lincolns  had  crossed  the  river 
at  the  last  named  point,  they  would  have  passed 
through  a  settlement  at  the  site  of  Charleston;  and  if 
they  had  taken  this  route  it  seems  strange  that  Mr. 
Lincoln,  in  speaking  of  the  "Way"  should  have  failed 
to  mention  that  fact  to  Colonel  Chapman.  He  does, 
however,  mention  such  places  as  Richwoods  and  Nelson, 
the  former  of  which  was  never  anything  more  than  a 
settlement,  while  the  latter  had  practically  disappeared 
as  a  town  by  1861,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  described  the 
route. 

With  due  consideration  for  every  phase  of  the  testi- 
mony presented  by  Mrs.  Chapman,  it  is  the  conclusion 
that  the  Lincolns  traveled  in  a  northwesterly  direc- 
tion from  Darwin  to  Richwoods,  that  they  passed 
through  the  western  part  of  Parker  township,  Clark 
county,  and  that  they  crossed  the  Embarras  river  at 
McCann's  ford.  Evidence  concerning  the  "Way" 
from  McCann's  ford  to  Decatur  is  scant  but  convinc- 
ing. The  Halls  believe  that  the  party  visited  at  the 
home  of  Ichabod  Radley  in  the  Paradise  settlement,  and 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  13 

in  this  belief  they  are  supported  by  the  opinion  of  others. 
(See  appendix  D,  G.)  Mr.  Lincoln  told  Colonel  Chap- 
man that  the  party  went  to  Dead  Man's  grove,  which 
was  west  of  the  site  of  Charleston,  and  northeast  of  the 
present  city  of  Mattoon.  (See  appendix  C.)  John  J. 
Hall  often  spoke  of  the  Lincolns  passing  through  the 
site  of  Mattoon.  (See  appendix  D,  G.) 

As  has  been  already  pointed  out,  Paradise  was  a 
name  given  to  a  postoffice  on  the  headwaters  of  the 
Little  Wabash  river  as  well  as  to  a  settlement  in  that 
neighborhood.  It  has  been  proved  that  Ichabod 
Radley  lived  in  that  settlement  at  the  time  the  Lin- 
colns moved  to  Illinois.  It  has  been  found  to  be  im- 
possible, however,  to  locate  definitely  the  home  of 
Radley  at  that  time.  (See  appendix  R.)  He  appears 
to  have  been  either  a  renter  or  a  squatter,  for  it  was  not 
until  later  that  he  owned  land  in  the  county.  Assum- 
ing that  the  Lincolns  were  in  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Paradise  postoffice,  they  would  have  gone  in  a 
northeasterly  direction  to  Dead  Man's  grove.  From 
the  last  named  place  they  would  have  traveled  in  a 
northwesterly  direction  to  the  site  of  Nelson,  called 
Nelsonville  by  Mr.  Lincoln,  where  they  crossed  the 
river.  None  of  the  party  has  left  any  record  of  the 
route  from  Nelson  to  Decatur.  It  has  been  determined, 
however,  that  a  road  connected  these  points,  and  that 
the  Lincolns  entered  Decatur  from  the  south.  (See 
appendix  S,  T.)  From  Decatur  they  went  to  a  farm 
in  Macon  county,  which  has  since  come  to  be  known  as 
the  "  Lincoln  Farm." 

From  the  evidence  at  hand  it  is  believed  that  the 
following  points  are  on  the  " Lincoln  Way"  in  Illinois: 
(1)  a  point  on  the  Illinois  bank  of  the  Wabash  river 


14  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

opposite  Vincennes,  Indiana;  (2)  Lawrenceville ;  (3) 
Christian  settlement;  (4)  Russell ville ;  (5)  Palestine; 
(6)  Hutsonville;  (7)  York;  (8)  Darwin;  (9)  Rich- 
woods;  (10)  McCann's  ford;  (11)  Paradise;  (12) 
Mattoon;  (13)  Dead  Man's  grove;  (14)  Nelson;  (15) 
Decatur;  (16)  "  Lincoln  Farm,"  Macon  county. 

Several  statements  about  the  "Way"  remain  to  be 
noticed.  In  the  Charleston  [Illinois]  Daily  News  of 
September  12,  1912,  the  editor,  the  late  James  K. 
Rardin,  stated  that  the  Lincolns  went  from  Lawrence- 
ville to  Vandalia  and  thence  to  Paradise  in  search  of  a 
family  named  Radley.  (See  appendix  U.)  A  critical 
analysis  of  Mr.  Rardin 's  statements  leads  to  the  con- 
clusion that  he  has  confused  the  journey  of  the  Lin- 
colns into  Illinois  with  their  subsequent  journey  from 
Macon  county  to  Coles  county.  Mr.  Rardin  says 
that  the  Lincolns  came  to  Illinois  in  1831.  It  is  defi- 
nitely known  that  they  came  in  1830.  He  says  further 
that  Radley  was  a  candidate  for  office  in  Coles  county 
at  that  time.  The  act  authorizing  the  erection  of 
Coles  county  was  passed  by  the  legislature  in  December, 
1830,  nine  months  after  the  Lincolns  entered  Illinois, 
and  the  county  was  not  organized  until  1831.  The 
first  county  election  was  held  February  5,  1831.  (See 
election  returns  for  1831,  Coles  county  court  house; 
appendix  V.)  The  Lincolns  could  not  have  remained 
at  the  Radleys  " between  spring  and  fall"  for  it  is 
agreed  by  Mr.  Lincoln's  biographers  that  Lincoln 
assisted  the  family  in  planting  a  crop  in  Macon  county 
in  the  spring  of  1830.  The  members  of  the  party  that 
have  left  any  record  whatever  of  the  journey  agree  that 
the  route  to  Decatur  was  more  direct  than  it  would 
have  been  had  they  gone  through  Vandalia.  In  this 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  15 

connection,  Mr.  Rardin  stated  also  that  the  Lincolns 
crossed  the  Wabash  at  Vincennes  and  passed  through 
Lawrenceville.  In  a  subsequent  issue  of  the  same 
paper,  November  29,  1912,  he  described  the  journey  as 
follows:  "  Again,  and  again,  the  Lincolns  did  not  go  to 
Vincennes,  but  to  Mt.  Carmel.  They  never  crossed 
the  Embarras  at  all,  but  having  meager  horse  sense 
they  never  crossed  the  Little  Wabash  till  they  got 
near  the  source  about  Ewington."  (See  appendix  U.) 
Just  what  caused  such  a  radical  change  of  opinion 
within  a  few  weeks  has  not  been  determined. 

Mr.  G.  M.  McConnel,  son  of  the  late  Murray  Mc- 
Connel  of  Jacksonville,  Illinois,  holds  the  opinion  tnat 
the  Lincolns  passed  through  Vandalia  when  they  moved 
to  Illinois  in  1830.  This  opinion  is  based  on  his 
father's  account  of  seeing  Mr.  Lincoln  pilot  the  party 
across  the  Kaskaskia  at  Vandalia.  The  elder  Mr. 
McConnel  may  have  seen  Mr.  Lincoln  under  similar 
circumstances  at  a  later  date;  it  seems  certain,  however, 
that  he  did  not  see  him  as  the  younger  Mr.  McConnel 
remembers  it.  In  the  light  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  own  state- 
ment about  the  route  taken  by  his  family,  therefore, 
it  must  be  concluded  that  Vandalia  is  not  on  the  "Way." 
(See  appendix  W.) 

During  the  Lincoln- Douglas  debate  at  Charleston  in 
1858,  a  banner  stretched  across  the  street  bore  the 
information  that  the  Lincolns  passed  through  that  city 
thirty  years  before.  It  is  believed  that  the  inscription 
on  the  banner  was  merely  intended  by  his  admirers  to 
mean  that  the  Lincolns  were  in  the  vicinity.  This  belief 
is  based  on  Mr.  Lincoln's  failure  to  mention  such  fact 
to  Colonel  Chapman,  on  Mrs.  Chapman's  denial  that 


16  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

the  Lincolns  passed  through  the  site  of  Charleston,  on 
the  evidence  of  the  Halls  who  say  that  the  Embarras 
river  was  crossed  at  McCann's  ford,  and  on  the  absence 
of  any  tradition  in  and  about  Charleston  that  would 
support  the  contention  that  Charleston  is  on  the 
"Way." 

Here  and  there  in  the  appendix  are  to  be  found  state- 
ments about  the  "Way"  that  run  counter  to  well- 
established  facts.  They  are  obviously  incorrect  and  no 
notice  has  been  taken  of  them  in  the  report.  In  several 
of  the  articles  and  affidavits  in  the  appendix  there 
appear  incorrect  historical  statements.  They  do  not, 
however,  affect  the  results  of  the  investigation,  and  for 
that  reason  they  have  been  allowed  to  stand  without 
comment. 

SOURCE  MATERIAL 

In  making  this  investigation  the  following  sources 
of  information  have  been  used : 

First — Printed  accounts  of  Mr.  Lincoln's  life.  Prac- 
tically every  important  book  written  on  Mr.  Lincoln's 
life  has  been  examined.  In  addition  several  well 
known  Lincoln  biographers  have  been  consulted, 
notably  Jesse  W.  Weik  of  Greencastle,  Indiana;  Ida 
M.  Tarbell  of  New  York,  and  J.  McCan  Davis  of 
Springfield,  Illinois. 

Second — (a)  Maps,  (b)  gazetteers,  (c)  road  laws  of 
the  state,  (d)  United  States  documents.  Maps  and 
gazetteers  have  been  of  little  value  in  this  investigation. 
The  former  show  only  the  well-established  routes, 
while  the  latter  deal  almost  exclusively  with  condi- 
tions of  trade  and  civilization.  Almost  all  the  gazet- 
teers of  the  period  begin  their  accounts  after  the  year 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  '  17 

1830.  The  road  laws  have  also  proved  unsatisfactory; 
they  indicate  only  the  authority  to  build  certain  roads, 
but  the  repetition  of  many  of  these  authorizations  in 
subsequent  laws  leads  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is 
little  connection  between  the  authorization  of  any 
highway  and  its  construction.  In  several  instances, 
the  reports  of  viewers  of  roads  authorized  by  state  law 
have  been  found  in  county  archives  and  used  to  good 
advantage;  otherwise  little  confidence  has  been  placed 
in  the  road-making  activities  of  the  state.  From 
United  States  documents  important  data  on  the 
Cumberland  road  and  on  mail  routes  have  been 
gathered. 

Third — (a)  County  commissioners'  court  records, 
(b)  state  archives  (Illinois).  The  records  of  the 
county  commissioners'  courts  of  Coles  and  Shelby 
counties  are  unusually  complete.  The  former  begin 
in  the  year  1831,  the  latter  in  1827.  In  Knox  county, 
Indiana  (Vincennes),  the  county  archives  date  from 
1814.  The  archives  of  Lawrence,  Crawford,  Clark, 
Edgar,  Cumberland,  Moultrie,  and  Macon  counties, 
Illinois,  have  been  of  little  value  in  this  investigation. 
Practically  all  the  early  records  of  these  counties  have 
been  lost.  As  the  report  will  show,  little  evidence  of  a 
positive  character  has  been  gathered  from  these 
archives.  The  location  of  public  highways,  for  in- 
stance, is  usually  indicated  by  such  expressions  as 
"from  John  Smith's  cabin  to  a  stake  in  the  prairie." 
Equally  disappointing  have  been  the  state  archives. 
Altogether  something  like  thirty  thousand  different 
manuscripts  have  been  examined,  and  in  order  to 
avoid  errors  each  manuscript  has  been  examined  twice. 


18  •  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

Fourth — (a)  Surveyors'  records,  (b)  stage-routing 
books  and  sheets,  (c)  mail  contracts.  Little  evidence 
has  been  gathered  from  these  sources.  Surveyors' 
records  give  scant  attention  to  roads,  trails,  and  fords, 
while  stage-routing  books  and  sheets,  and  mail  con- 
tracts indicate  approximate  distances  only. 

Fifth — Contemporary  newspapers.  The  papers  ex- 
amined for  this  period  are  the  Western  Sun,  Vincennes, 
Indiana,  the  Illinois  Intelligencer,  Vandalia,  Illinois, 
and  the  Missouri  Republican,  St.  Louis,  Missouri.  It 
was  hoped  that  from  these  sources  something  might  be 
learned  of  the  trend  of  immigration,  of  the  location  of 
roads  and  settlements,  and  of  the  stages  of  water  in 
the  rivers.  From  the  first  named  paper  only  has  any 
information  bearing  on  this  investigation  been  secured. 
Altogether  some  five  hundred  issues  of  these  papers 
have  been  examined. 

Sixth — (a)  Interviews  with  old  settlers,  (b)  exami- 
nation of  the  remains  of  old  roads  and  trails.  During 
the  three  years  in  which  the  investigation  has  been 
carried  on  visits  have  been  made  along  what  appeared 
to  be  the  "  Way."  It  was  not  to  be  expected  that  the 
experiences  of  any  great  number  of  the  people  living 
would  reach  back  to  1830.  It  was  expected,  however, 
and  the  expectation  was  realized,  that  the  pioneers 
could  assist  in  locating  early  trails,  roads,  and  fords. 
Without  their  assistance  the  labors  of  the  investigation 
would  have  been  more  arduous  and  prolonged.  The 
examination  of  the  remains  of  roads  and  trails  has  been 
the  means  in  many  cases  of  verifying  both  documen- 
tary and 'oral  evidence. 

Seventh — Land  entries  and  land  conveyances.  In 
those  sections  in  which  there  have  been  doubts  as  to  the 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  19 

approximate  location  of  roads  between  known  points 
on  the  "  Way,"  an  examination  of  land  entries  has  been 
made.  It  was  not  expected  that  the  areas  entered 
and  the  areas  actually  settled  would  coincide.  It  was 
expected,  however,  that  the  entries  would  indicate 
roughly  the  location  of  settlements;  and  without  a 
single  exception  such  has  been  found  to  be  the  case. 

Eighth — County  histories.  The  history  of  every 
county  that  seemed  likely  to  be  concerned  in  the  inves- 
tigation has  been  examined.  This  source  has  proved 
valuable  in  several  cases,  notably  in  connection  with 
land  entries.  The  history  of  Moultrie  county,  for 
example,  confirms  the  opinions  that  the  early  land 
entries  near  Nelson  were  made  by  men  who  had 
preceded  the  Lincolns  from  the  Wabash  country. 

Ninth — Newspapers  issued  between  1854  and  1861. 
It  had  been  hoped  that  an  examination  of  the  leading 
Illinois  newspapers  issued  after  1854  would  reveal  some- 
thing about  Mr.  Lincoln's  entry  into  Illinois.  In  this 
phase  of  the  investigation  ten  thousand  issues  of  ten 
different  papers  have  been  examined.  With  one  nota- 
ble exception,  the  examination  has  resulted  in  failure. 

Tenth — Statements  of  members  of  the  Lincoln  party, 
or  of  their  descendants.  Evidence  coming  either 
directly  or  indirectly  from  those  who  composed  the 
Lincoln  party  deserves  special  attention  in  this  inves- 
tigation, for  it  is  obvious  that  from  no  other  source 
could  it  possibly  be  derived.  Care  has  been  taken, 
however,  to  test  its  accuracy;  and  whenever  it  re- 
quired impossible  conditions  to  make  it  plausible,  or 
ran  counter  to  better  known  facts,  it  has  been  rejected 
and  the  reasons  for  its  rejection  given  in  the  report. 
At  least  three  members  of  the  party,  Mr.  Lincoln, 


20  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

Mrs.  Harriet  Chapman  of  Charleston,  and  the  late 
Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Bowling,  have  made  detailed  state- 
ments about  the  "Way."  Those  of  Mr.  Lincoln  and 
Mrs.  Bowling  have  been  handed  down  by  others, 
while  that  of  Mrs.  Chapman,  which  is  based  in  part 
on  experience  and  in  part  on  information  gained  from 
her  elders,  was  made  for  the  first  time  to  those  in 
charge  of  the  "Lincoln  Way"  investigation.  Mr.  Lin- 
coln's account  was  given  to  Colonel  Chapman  thirty 
years  after  the  events  described  and  thirty-five  years 
later  it  was  handed  on,  apparently  from  memory,  to 
Mr.  Weik,  who  made  a  written  record  of  it.  The  cir- 
cumstances under  which  this  statement  was  made, 
however,  and  the  manner  of  its  transmission  to  this 
investigation  stamp  it  with  a  considerable  degree  of 
authenticity,  for  neither  Lincoln  nor  Colonel  Chapman, 
to  whom  he  related  the  incidents  of  his  entry  into  Illi- 
nois, nor  Mr.  Weik,  who  considered  it  of  too  little  im- 
portance to  make  public  until  the  present  time,  appeared 
to  have  the  slightest  idea  of  its  historical  value. 
John  J.  Hall,  another  member  of  the  party,  has  handed 
down  his  information  about  the  "Way"  through  his 
children,  but  as  far  as  is  known  no  written  record  was 
made  of  it  prior  to  the  beginning  of  this  investigation. 
Although  a  mere  lad  at  the  time  the  Lincolns  came  to 
Illinois,  he  grew  to  manhood  in  the  associations  of  Mr. 
and  Mrs.  Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  father,  Squire  Hall. 
Both  families  lived  for  years  in  Coles  county  near  the 
route  traveled  in  1830,  and  it  is  to  be  expected  that 
they  often  spoke  of  their  journey  through  that  part  of 
the  country.  Young  Hall  in  time  became  familiar  with 
the  story,  and  in  after  life  often  related  it  to  his  chil- 
dren and  to  the  neighbors.  It  seemed  to  be  of  little 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  21 

importance  to  those  who  heard  it,  so  much  so  that  they 
can  recall  only  what  was  said  about  the  journey  through 
their  own  neighborhood.  The  statements  by  the  Halls 
and  the  Bowlings  about  the  "Way"  were  made  before 
the  " Lincoln  Way"  investigation  had  been  proposed. 
Mrs.  Bowling  gave  her  account  of  the  journey  to  her 
son,  while  the  Halls  are  positively  known  to  have  be- 
lieved several  years  ago  that  the  Lincolns  crossed  the 
Embarras  river  at  McCann's  ford,  and  passed  through 
the  Paradise  settlements. 

Eleventh — Tradition.  Unreliable  as  tradition  may  be 
in  historical  investigation,  it  has  been  used  in  this  in- 
vestigation with  gratifying  results.  Three  years  ago 
the  newspapers  of  the  state  gave  publicity  to  the 
" Lincoln  Way"  investigation.  Through  their  col- 
umns the  people  were  asked  to  submit  any  information 
on  the  subject  they  might  have.  Buring  the  inter- 
vening period  an  agitation  for  evidence  has  been 
carried  on  through  the  newspapers,  and  by  private 
correspondence  and  by  lectures  on  the  subject  in 
several  of  the  principal  cities  of  the  state.  In  the  fall 
of  1914,  a  second  general  request  for  information  was 
made  through  the  columns  of  all  the  papers  of  the 
state  and  of  the  metropolitan  papers  outside  the  state. 
As  a  result  of  this  publicity  it  is  believed  that  people 
in  all  sections  of  the  country  have  had  the  "  Lincoln 
Way"  project  called  to  their  attention.  Instead  of 
the  babel  that  was  expected  to  result  from  this  method 
of  procedure,  scarcely  a  tradition  has  arisen  that  would 
cause  the  "Way"  to  deviate  materially  from  what  ap- 
pears to  be  its  route,  which  fact  may  be  verified  by  an 
examination  of  the  appendix  of  this  report.  The 


22  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

absence  of  conflicting  tradition  therefore  appears  not 
only  to  stamp  the  authenticity  of  the  tradition  held 
along  the  way,  but  also  to  indicate  the  reluctance  of 
people  generally  to  manufacture  tradition  for  selfish 
purposes. 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  23 


APPENDIX    A 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  JAMES  WADE  EMISON 
STATE  OF  INDIANA, 


co 

KNOX  COUNTY 

James  Wade  Emison  being  duly  sworn  upon  his  oath  says  that 
he  was  born  on  the  7th  day  of  February,  1859,  on  a  farm  near  the 
town  of  Bruceville,  Knox  county,  Indiana,  which  said  farm  was 
settled  by  Richard  Posey  of  South  Carolina  somewhere  about  the 
year  1800. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  grandfather,  William  W.  C. 
Emison,  was  born  at  Georgetown,  Kentucky,  in  1804.  That  in 
1805,  the  said  William  W.  C.  Emison's  parents  moved  from  George- 
town, Kentucky,  to  a  point  on  Mariah  creek,  in  Knox  county, 
Indiana,  on  the  Bruceville  and  Russellville  highway.  That  the 
said  William  W.  C.  Emison  upon  arriving  at  the  age  of  manhood 
intermarried  with  Elizabeth  Posey,  the  daughter  of  said  Richard 
Posey,  and  thereafter  made  his  home  upon  said  Posey  farm,  said 
farm  in  the  course  of  years  coming  into  his  possession  and  there- 
after into  the  possession  and  ownership  of  the  son  of  said  Wil- 
liam W.  C.  Emison,  to  wit,  John  W.  Emison,  who  was  the  father 
of  this  affiant. 

Affiant  further  says  that  the  Vincennes  and  Bruceville  highway 
passed  along  the  western  edge  of  said  farm,  and  has  been  located 
practically  upon  its  present  route  for  more  than  one  hundred 
years  last  past. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  grandfather  many  times 
called  his  attention  to  the  point  upon  said  highway  where  he  had 
first  seen  Abraham  Lincoln.  That  said  point  so  designated  by 
him  was  within  a  short  distance  of  the  Posey  and  Emison  home- 
stead, and  at  a  point  which  is  now  immediately  in  front  of  the 
present  Emison  homestead. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  grandfather  stated  that 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  his  father,  together  with  his  father's  family, 


24  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

and  one  Mr.  Hanks  were  moving  in  wagons,  drawn  by  ox  teams, 
and  that  this  occurred  in  the  year  of  1830.  That  Abraham  Lin- 
coln at  that  time  and  place  stated  to  him  that  they  had  come 
from  southern  Indiana,  from  the  locality  now  known  as  Spencer 
county,  and  that  they  were  moving  to  the  Sangamon  country, 
in  the  state  of  Illinois. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  grandfather  and  father  talked 
of  these  things  many  times  in  the  presence  of  this  affiant,  and 
further  related  many  times  how  it  was  that  said  Abraham 
Lincoln  had  returned  to  the  town  of  Bruceville  in  the  year  1844, 
and  made  a  political  speech  at  that  time. 

Affiant  further  says  that  both  his  said  father  and  grandfather 
were  Fremont  Republicans,  and  were  ardent  admirers  and  sup- 
porters of  Abraham  Lincoln,  and  that  it  was  on  account  of  their 
great  admiration  for  and  devotion  to  Abraham  Lincoln  that  they 
often  talked  of  matters  herein  set  forth. 

Affiant  further  says  that  the  Emison  family  at  the  time  herein 
spoken  of  were  owners  of  the  stage  line,  both  freight  and  passen- 
ger, from  Evansville  in  the  state  of  Indiana,  to  Terre  Haute  in 
the  state  of  Indiana.  That  said  stage  line  north  of  Vincennes  and 
for  a  distance  of  some  five  or  six  miles  was  through  heavy  sand, 
and  that  Mr.  Lincoln  explained  to  his  said  grandfather  that  they 
had  come  around  by  way  of  Bruceville,  which  was  slightly  out  of 
their  way,  in  order  that  they  might  avoid  driving  through  said 
stretch  of  heavy  sand. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  grandfather  in  relating  the  story 
of  his  meeting  with  Lincoln  informed  him  that  Mr.  Lincoln  said 
that  when  they  reached  the  town  of  Bruceville,  which  was  a  short 
distance  away,  they  proposed  to  turn  west  on  the  Bruceville  and 
Russellville  highway,  and  cross  the  Wabash  river  from  the  state 
of  Indiana,  to  the  state  of  Illinois,  at  the  Russellville  ford. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  father  and  grandfather  in 
after  years  became  warm  personal  friends  of  the  said  Abraham 
Lincoln,  and  that  on  account  of  their  said  relations  with  him,  and 
on  account  of  the  disposition  of  his  said  grandfather  at  all  times 
to  be  exact  and  truthful  in  all  his  statements,  he  has  no  question 
but  that  his  said  grandfather's  story  of  his  first  meeting  with 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  25 

Abraham  Lincoln,  and  the  conversations  had  between  them  are 
in  all  things  true. 

JAMES  WADE  EMISON 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  2d  day  of  November, 
1912. 

WILLIAM  S.  HOOVER 

Notary  Public 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  W.  O.  ROACH 
STATE  OF   INDIANA, 


KNOX  COUNTY 

William  O.  Roach,  being  duly  sworn  upon  his  oath,  says  that  he 
is  sixty-three  years  of  age  past.  That  during  his  childhood,  through 
his  youth,  and  up  to  the  period  of  manhood  he  lived  in  the  family 
of  John  W.  Emison,  who  was  the  son  of  William  W.  C.  Emison, 
and  the  father  of  James  Wade  Emison,  who  is  at  this  time  a  prac- 
ticing lawyer  in  the  city  of  Vincennes,  Knox  county,  Indiana. 
That  he  knew  William  W.  C.  Emison  well.  That  he  often  heard 
him  speak  of  the  first  time  he  had  ever  seen  Abraham  Lincoln. 
That  he  pointed  out  a  spot  on  the  Vincennes  and  Bruceville  high- 
way where  he  had  seen  him.  That  he  said  it  was  in  the  year  of 
1830.  That  the  Lincoln  family  were  moving  from  Spencer 
county,  Indiana,  to  the  Sangamon  country,  in  the  state  of  Illi- 
nois. That  they  were  driving  ox  teams.  That  they  told  him 
they  had  diverged  from  the  old  stage  road,  and  come  around  by 
Bruceville  in  order  to  avoid  the  heavy  sand  in  the  stage  road. 
That  after  they  arrived  at  the  town  of  Bruce ville,  which  was  near 
by,  and  which  was  an  old  settlement,  having  been  founded  before 
the  year  1800,  they  proposed  to  turn  west  on  the  Bruceville  and 
Russell  ville  road,  and  cross  the  Wabash  river  from  the  state  of 
Indiana  to  the  state  of  Illinois  at  the  ford  located  near  the  town  of 
Russell  ville. 

Affiant  further  says  that  immediately  after  the  assassination  of 
Abraham  Lincoln,  he  heard  the  said  William  W.  C.  Emison  and  his 
son,  John  W.  Emison,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Dr.  John  Posey, 
talking  about  the  Lincoln  pilgrimage  from  Indiana  to  Illinois. 


26  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

That  upon  this  occasion  the  said  William  W.  C.  Emison  spoke 
of  the  place  where  he  had  first  seen  Abraham  Lincoln  and  repeated 
substantially  the  story  hereinbefore  set  forth. 

Affiant  further  says  that  the  said  Emisons  were  warm  friends 
and  great  admirers  of  the  said  Lincoln,  and  his  life  and  character 
were  with  them  a  fruitful  source  of  conversation. 

Affiant  further  says  that  some  time  between  the  years  1872  and 
1880,  he  heard  Joseph  Van  Meter,  who  was  at  that  time  a  very  old 
man,  and  who  lived  near  the  Emison  mill  located  on  the  Bruce- 
ville  and  Russellville  highway,  say  that  the  Lincolns  in  traveling 
west  in  the  year  1830  had  camped  over  night  near  said  mill. 
That  he  saw  them  at  that  time  and  talked  to  them  as  to  where  they 
came  from,  and  where  they  were  going. 

W.  O.  ROACH 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  5th  day  of  November, 
1912. 

W.    C.   WlTTENMYER 

Notary  Public 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  W.  A.  TAYLOR 
STATE  OF  INDIANA, 


KNOX  COUNTY 

William  A.  Taylor  being  duly  sworn  upon  his  oath  says  that  he  is 
fifty-six  years  of  age  past.  That  in  the  year  1830,  his  mother 
was  a  child  six  years  of  age,  and  lived  in  the  town  of  Bruceville, 
Knox  county,  Indiana. 

That  he  had  often  heard  her  say  that  the  Lincoln  family  in  mov- 
ing from  the  state  of  Indiana  to  the  Sangamon  country  in  Illi- 
nois, came  from  Vincennes,  and  passed  through  Bruceville,  cross- 
ing the  Wabash  river  into  Illinois  at  Russellville  ford. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  mother  spoke  of  these  things  often, 
and  that  the  Lincolns  and  his  mother's  family  had  been  former 
friends ;  further  stating  that  at  the  time  said  family  passed  through 
Bruceville,  she  saw  them  and  conversed  with  them. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  stepfather,  Dr.  McGowen,  often 
related  to  him  the  fact  that  when  Mr.  Lincoln  and  his  family 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  27 

removed  from  Indiana  to  Illinois,  that  the  family  came  into  Knox 
county  by  crossing  at  the  Apr  aw  ford  on  White  river.  That 
the  Lincolns  and  the  McGowens  had  been  friends  and  acquaint- 
ances and  neighbors  in  earlier  years  in  the  state  of  Kentucky. 
That  the  McGowens  lived  at  said  Apraw  ford,  and  that  the  Lin- 
colns stopped  over  night  with  the  McGowens  at  said  Apraw  ford. 
That  thereafter  they  journeyed  to  Vincennes,  and  afterwards  re- 
sumed their  journey  leaving  the  city  of  Vincennes  by  the  Bruce- 
ville  road,  passing  through  Bruceville,  and  then  turning  in  a 
westerly  direction  on  the  Bruceville  and  Russell ville  road,  and 
crossing  the  Wabash  river  at  Russell  ville  ford. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  mother  and  his  said  step- 
father spoke  often  of  said  journey,  and  spoke  of  the  fact  that  the 
family  were  moving  with  ox  wagons. 

W.  A.  TAYLOR 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  7th  day  of  November, 
1912. 

WILLIAM  S.  HOOVER 

Notary  Public 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  WILLIAM  J.  TROUT 
STATE  OF  INDIANA, 


cc 

KNOX  COUNTY 

William  J.  Trout  being  duly  sworn  upon  his  oath  says  that  he  is 
sixty-eight  years  of  age  past.  That  he  is  the  eldest  son  of  the 
Daniel  J.  Trout  hereinafter  mentioned  in  his  relations  with 
William  W.  C.  Emison. 

Affiant  further  says  that  in  the  early  times  the  site  of  the  town 
of  Bruceville  was  the  meeting  point  of  several  important  Indian 
tribes.  That  this  fact  no  doubt  determined  the  location  of  said 
town. 

Affiant  further  says  that  one  Indian  trail  ran  in  a  northeasterly 
course  from  Vincennes,  passing  through  Bruceville,  and  ending 
at  the  west  end  of  Lake  Erie.  That  another  Indian  trail  extended 
directly  north  to  the  south  end  of  Lake  Michigan.  That  another 


28  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

Indian  trail,  and  the  most  important  of  all  of  said  trails,  ran  east 
passing  out  of  the  county  of  Knox  at  Apraw  on  White  river,  and 
west  passing  out  of  said  county  opposite  Russell ville,  Illinois. 

Affiant  further  says  that  this  trail  extended  to  Cincinnati,  Ohio, 
and  all  points  lying  east,  and  was  a  trail  connecting  Cincinnati 
and  Palestine,  Illinois.  That  said  trail  was  an  ideal  natural  high- 
way, and  avoided  unfordable  streams,  dense  forests,  and  wet  and 
marshy  lowlands.  That  said  trail  was  much  used,  first  by  the  In- 
dians, afterwards  by  white  traders,  hunters,  and  trappers  in  going 
and  returning  on  their  trips,  and  thereafter  by  movers  going  west. 

Affiant  further  says  that  if  there  ever  was  a  trail  such  as  the 
foregoing,  leading  south  from  any  point  in  Knox  county,  and 
crossing  the  main  stream  of  White  river,  he  never  heard  of  it,  and 
further  that  he  does  not  believe  there  ever  was  such  a  trail,  or  could 
have  been  one.  The  deep  streams,  the  wide  bottoms,  the  dense 
forests,  and  drowned  lowlands  of  this  region  made  it  impossible. 

Affiant  further  says  that  the  Lincoln  family  in  their  removal 
from  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  to  the  Sangamon  country  in  Illi- 
nois, would  have  been  forced  by  the  natural  lay  of  the  country 
to  have  traveled  along  a  route  lying  east  of  the  west  fork  of  the 
White  river,  and  that  the  natural  and  only  practicable  course  of 
travel  from  their  starting  point  was  to  have  traveled  through 
Pike  county  and  Daviess  county  to  a  point  on  the  west  fork  of  the 
White  river,  known  as  Apraw  ford.  That  said  route  was  not  only 
well  marked  and  much  traveled,  but  was  located  upon  high  ground, 
and  across  the  most  easily  fordable  streams.  That  from  said 
point  at  Apraw,  said  highway,  which  had  theretofore  been  an  In- 
dian trail,  passed  in  a  westerly  direction  through  Bruceville,  and 
thereafter  passed  the  Emison  mill,  located  on  Mariah  creek,  and 
which  was  built  in  1807,  and  thence  on  in  a  westerly  direction  to 
the  ford  Crossing  the  Wabash  river  at  Russell  ville,  and  thence  on 
to  Palestine. 

Affiant  further  says  that  said  route  was  the  only  practicable  one 
which  the  Lincolns  could  have  taken  in  their  journey  from  Indi- 
ana to  Illinois. 

Affiant  further  says  that  he  had  alway  been  informed  and  be- 
lieved that  after  crossing  White  river  at  said  Apraw  ford,  the 
Lincoln  family  then  journeyed  over  a  well  marked  out  highway  to 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  29 

Vincennes,  and  that  said  highway  from  said  ford  at  Apraw,  to  Vin- 
cennes  was  upon  high  land,  and  was  an  excellent  natural  highway. 

Affiant  further  says  that  they  visited  Vincennes,  which  was  the 
most  noted  point  in  all  the  western  country,  and  a  place  at  which 
was  located  a  government  land  office  and  one  of  the  very  few 
printing  presses  then  in  existence  in  the  West. 

Affiant  further  says  that  naturally  upon  leaving  Vincennes,  said 
Lincoln  family  would  have  resumed  their  journey  to  the  Sanga- 
mon  country  by  going  to  Bruceville,  as  the  nearest  practicable  way 
to  get  into  the  great  line  of  east  and  west  travel  hereinbefore 
spoken  of;  further  that  the  line  of  the  Lincoln  pilgrimage  must 
of  natural  necessity  have  been  from  Apraw  to  Vincennes,  thence 
to  Bruceville,  thence  to  Russellville,  Illinois. 

Affiant  further  says  that  the  Lincolns  could  not  have  crossed 
into  Illinois  at  Vincennes,  and  thence  up  to  Russellville  for  the 
reason  that  the  country  north  of  Vincennes  and  west  of  the 
Wabash  river  was  full  of  impassable  swamps,  and  contained  one 
deep  river,  towit,  the  Embarras. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  father  started  in  about  the  year 
1837  to  learn  the  tanner's  trade  of  William  W.  C.  Emison,  who 
resided  near  Bruceville,  and  lived  all  or  most  of  the  time  in  said 
Emison  family  until  his  own  marriage  in  1843. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  father  remained  working  for 
the  said  William  W.  C.  Emison  in  his  tanyard  until  the  year  1845, 
at  which  time  he  moved  to  Edwardsport,  on  the  west  fork  of 
White  river,  in  Knox  county,  buying  and  operating  a  tanyard 
of  his  own. 

Affiant  further  says  that  his  said  father  lived  in  said  Knox 
county  until  his  death  in  1874. 

Affiant  further  says  that  he  heard  his  father  at  different  times 
make  mention  of  Lincoln's  journey,  and  that  he  feels  assured  that 
the  story  he  related  was  learned  from  said  William  W.  C.  Emison, 
the  same  in  all  things  agreeing  with  the  story  related  by  James 
Wade  Emison,  who  is  the  grandson  of  William  W.  C.  Emison. 

WILLIAM  J.  TROUT 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  4th  day  of  November, 
1912.  R.  L.  MCCLURE 

Notary  Public 


30  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

NOTES  FROM  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  COURT  RECORDS, 
KNOX  COUNTY,  INDIANA 

Three  ferries  licensed  by  the  proper  official  of  Knox  county  for 
1830,  to  carry  passengers,  wagons,  etc.,  across  the  Wabash  river 
at  Vincennes.  Road  overseers  appointed  for  road  leading  from 
Vincennes  to  John  McCarty's  ferry  on  Wabash  river,  west  of 
Shakertown.  Ferry  license  granted  to  John  McCarty  for  the 
year  1830.  The  road  to  the  ferry  was  in  existence  as  nearly  as  1814 
and  perhaps  earlier. 

APPENDIX  B 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  HARRIET  CHAPMAN 
STATE  OF  ILLINOIS,  1 

QQ 

COLES  COUNTY     / 

CHARLESTON,  ILLINOIS 

Harriet  Chapman  being  first  duly  sworn,  on  oath,  deposes  and 
says  that  she  is  now  and  has  been  for  more  than  seventy-five  (75) 
years  last  past  a  resident  of  Charleston,  Coles  county,  Illinois, 
and  that  she  is  now  past  eighty-six  (86)  years  of  age. 

Affiant  further  states  that  she  was  a  member  of  the  Lincoln 
party  that  came  from  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  to  Decatur,  Illi- 
nois, in  the  year  1830. 

Affiant  further  states  that  the  party  had  three  covered  wagons, 
two  drawn  by  oxen,  and  one  by  horses,  and  two  saddle  horses; 
also  that  the  party  consisted  of  affiant,  her  father  and  mother, 
Dennis  F.  Hanks  and  Elizabeth  Hanks;  her  brother,  John  Hanks, 
and  her  sisters,  Sarah  Jane  and  Nancy  Hanks;  Squire  Hall  and 
wife,  Matilda  Hall,  and  one  child  named  John  Hall;  Thomas  Lin- 
coln and  his  wife,  Sarah  Lincoln,  and  child,  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  John  Johnson.1 

1  Johnson  signed  his  name  "Johnston".  There  are  accounts  showing  that 
the  party  had  but  one  ox  team;  in  speaking  of  Greenup,  the  site  of  Greenup 
is  intended;  by  an  oversight  there  was  omitted  from  this  affidavit  the  follow- 
ing: "The  affiant  further  states  that  her  knowledge  of  events  as  sworn  to  in 
this  affidavit  is  based  upon  remembrances  and  upon  hearing  her  parents  talk 
after  she  became  a  young  lady." 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  31 

Affiant  further  states  that  she  is  related  to  Abraham  Lincoln  in 
this  way:  ''That  her  father  was  a  second  cousin  to  Abraham  Lin- 
coln, and  that  affiant  was  by  marriage  a  granddaughter  of 
Thomas  Lincoln,  said  Thomas  Lincoln's  wife  Sarah,  being  a 
grandmother  of  affiant." 

Affiant  further  states  that  the  party  was  at  Vincennes,  In 
and  that  the  party  in  leaving  Vincennes  went  by  land, 
first  night  out  near  a  grist  mill ;  that  the  party  crossed  t^«w  abash 
river  the  next  day  (the  second  day  after  leavii^r  Vincennes, 
Indiana).  A\  * 

Affiant  further  states  that  the  party  passe^yErough  Palestine, 
Illinois ;  that  she  remembers  said  town  f ro«J$He  fact  that  it  had  a 
Bible  name.  \* 

Affiant  further  states  that  the  party  finally  reached  the  na- 
tional road,  and  crossed  the  Embarras  river  at  Greenup,  Illi- 
nois; passed  through  Paradise,  located  in  what  is  now  the  south- 
western corner  of  Coles  county,  Illinois. 

Affiant  states  that  she  has  often  heard  her  father,  Dennis  Hanks, 
speak  of  crossing  the  Embarras  river  at  Greenup,  Illinois,  and 
that  the  cause  of  said  Hanks  speaking  of  this  event  repeatedly  was 
that  he  afterwards  worked  on  the  bridge  built  at  that  point. 

Affiant  further  states  that  the  party  did  not  follow  the  national 
road  far  west  of  Greenup,  that  it  did  not  go  to  Vandalia,  Illinois, 
and  that  the  trip  was  made  directly  to  Decatur. 

Affiant  further  states  that  she  is  in  possession  of  a  photograph  of 
Abraham  Lincoln;  that  said  photograph  was  sent  to  her  by  Mr. 
Lincoln  accompanied  by  a  letter,  in  which  he  stated  "that  I  am 
sending  you  the  photograph  that  I  promised  you."  The  letter 
further  states  that  "this  is  the  first  photograph  that  I  have  ever 
had  taken." 

HARRIET  CHAPMAN 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  2d  day  of  November, 
A.  D.  1912. 

W.  O.  BENNETT 
Notarv  Public 


32  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

APPENDIX  C 

EXTRACT  FROM  LETTER  OF  JESSE  W.  WEIK 

February  26,  1913 
MR.  C.  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 

MY  DEAR  SIR: 

I  have  just  finished  a  careful  examination  of  my  Lincoln  papers 
in  the  hope  that  I  might  be  able  to  find  something  of  material 
value  in  connection  with  the  matter  of  the  route  traveled  by  the 
Lincolns  in  their  journey  from  this  state  to  Illinois  in  1830.  Away 
back  in  the  early  eighties  I  often  met  and  talked  with  Dennis 
Hanks,  as  also  did  Mr.  Herndon,  but  I  do  not  recall  that  the 
question  of  the  route  of  travel  ever  came  up  in  our  talks. 

********** 

Hastily  but  truly, 

JESSE  W.  WEIK 


EXTRACT  FROM  LETTER  OF  JESSE  W.  WEIK 

November  22,  1913 
MR.  C.  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 

MY  DEAR  SIR: 

I  rejoice  to  tell  you  that  I  have  just  found  what  I  have  for  lo, 
these  many  months  been  hunting  and  that  is  the  original  manu- 
script of  an  interview  with  the  late  Colonel  Chapman  of  Charles- 
ton, Illinois,  giving  the  route  the  Lincoln  family  took  in  making 
their  way  to  Illinois  in  1830.  The  information  was  imparted  by 
Mr.  Lincoln  to  Chapman  during  a  ride  from  Charleston  to  the 
site  of  his  father's  grave  in  February,  1860  [January,  1861]. 

Hastily, 
JESSE  W.  WEIK 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  33 

LETTER  OF  JESSE  W.  WEIK  WITH  INCLOSURES 

November  28,  1913 
MR.  C.  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

I  inclose  herewith  a  copy  of  my  interview  with  Colonel  Chap- 
man and  his  wife  in  January,  1896.  Please  read  it  and  tell  me 
what  you  think  of  it.  I  add  also  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by 
Colonel  Chapman  to  Mr.  Herndon  in  October,  1865.  I  inclose 
besides  a  rough  draft  of  a  map  of  Coles  county  on  which  a  friend 
in  Charleston  has  indicated  the  site  of  the  Dead  Man's  grove 
mentioned  in  Chapman's  interview.  I  have  written  to  a  man  in 
Clark  county  to  indicate  on  a  map  where  the  settlement  known  as 
Richwoods  stood;  also  to  a  party  in  Moultrie  county  to  fix  the 
location  of  Nelson ville.  When  their  reports  come  in  if  you  want 
them  I  will  gladly  supply  you  with  them. 

Very  respectfully, 

JESSE  W.  WEIK 

[Statement  of  Colonel  Chapman] 

CHARLESTON,  ILLINOIS,  January  3,  1896 

Colonel  Augustus  H. Chapman :  married  daughter  of  Dennis  Hanks 
and  latter  has  been  living  with  us  off  and  on  for  many  years ;  have 
often  talked  to  him  about  the  journey  from  Indiana  to  Kentucky 
in  1839;  also  with  Sarah  Bush  Lincoln,  his  mother-in-law,  who 
also  lived  in  my  family  for  some  time  prior  to  her  death  in  1869. 
Late  in  January,  1861,  when  Mr.  Lincoln  came  to  Charleston  to 
visit  his  stepmother  I  rode  with  him  to  the  graveyard  in  the 
country  where  his  father  was  buried;  he  had  spent  the  previous 
night  at  my  house  where  the  old  lady  then  lived.  We  got  to  talk- 
ing about  the  journey  from  Indiana  in  1830;  he  agreed  substan- 
tially with  Hanks  as  to  the  route  they  took ;  said  they  went  from 
Gentryville  to  Jasper  in  Dubois  county;  thence  to  Washington, 
Daviess  county;  thence  to  Vincennes  where  they  crossed  the 
Wabash;  thence  towards  Lawrenceville  where  they  turned  north 
and  pushed  on  to  Palestine  in  Crawford  county.  At  Palestine  they 


34  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

found  a  great  many  people  drawn  there  by  the  land  office.  They 
kept  on  north  paralleling  the  river  to  Darwin  where  they  left  the 
Wabash  behind  them.  At  this  point  they  set  off  in  a  northwest- 
wardly direction  passing  through  Richwoods  in  Clark  county; 
thence  to  a  point  about  six  miles  west  of  Charleston  called  Dead 
Man's  grove;  thence  north  through  Nelsonville,  Moultrie  county, 
to  Decatur  where  they  stopped. 

[Statement  of  Mrs.  Chapman] 

Mrs.  Harriett  Chapman:  wife  of  Colonel  Chapman,  daughter  of 
Dennis  Hanks  and  granddaughter  of  Sarah  Bush  Lincoln ;  says  her 
grandmother  told  her  the  first  printing  press  and  the  first  Indians 
Mr.  Lincoln  ever  saw  were  at  Vincennes;  on  the  way  to  Illinois 
she  and  her  daughters  rode  on  horseback  a  good  part  of  the  way ; 
the  small  children  were  in  the  wagon;  the  sidesaddles  were 
bought  with  the  money  that  was  due  and  paid  to  her  in  Kentucky, 
and  which  she  rode  there  from  Indiana,  after  her  first  husband's 
death,  to  collect. 

[Notes  from  Letter  of  Chapman  to  Herndon,  October  8,  1865] 
Thomas  Lincoln  moved  from  Indiana  to  Illinois  in  a  large  four- 
horse  wagon  drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen;  only  wagon  he  ever 
owned ;  brought  writh  him  some  stock  cattle ;  one  horse ;  three  beds 
and  bedding;  one  bureau;  one  table;  one  set  chairs;  cooking 
utensils;  clothing  etc.  There  were  three  families  together:  Lin- 
coins,  Halls  and  Hanks.  Squire  Hall  and  Dennis  Hanks  had 
married  sisters  and  they  were  stepdaughters  of  Thomas  Lincoln. 
Abe  Lincoln  drove  his  father's  ox  team.  The  waters  were  very 
high  at  the  time  and  they  came  near  losing  their  team,  wagon 
and  contents  in  crossing  the  Okaw  or  Kaskaskia  river. 

LETTER  OF  JESSE  W.  WEIK  WITH  INCLOSURES 

December  12,  1913 
MR.  C.  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

The  surveyor  of  Moultrie  county  not  having  promptly  answered 
me,  I  wrote  to  my  old  friend  ex-Senator  Beveridge  at  Indianapolis 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  35 

who  was  reared  to  manhood  in  Moultrie  county.  He  knew  noth- 
ing about  Nelsonville,  but  wrote  to  his  brother-in-law  living  in 
Sullivan.  Herewith  is  his  answer. 

Hastily, 

J.  W.  WEIK 

[Letter  from  Beveridge  to  Eden] 

December  10,  1913 
MY  DEAR  EDEN: 

Please  do  me  the  favor  of  finding  out  just  where  Nelsonville 

was  and  indicating  on  the  inclosed  map,  sending  it  to  Mr.  Weik. 

I  never  heard  of  the  place,  but  undoubtedly  there  was  such  a  place. 

If  you  don't  recall  it,  some  of  the  older  men  in  the  county  surely 

will  know  about  it. 

Their   statements  must   be   credible  as  this  is  to  go  into  an 
important  book. 
With  best  wishes, 

Faithfully, 

ALBERT  J.  BEVERIDGE 
MR.  E.  B.  EDEN, 

SULLIVAN,  ILLINOIS. 

[Extract  of  Letter  from  Eden  to  Weik] 

MR.  JESSE  W.  WEIK, 

GREENCASTLE,  INDIANA 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

The  name  of  the  first  county  seat  was  Nelson  without  the  ville 
and  was  located  about  three  and  one-half  miles  from  Sullivan  the 
present  county  seat  on  the  Okaw  or  Kaskaskia  river. 


I  have  indicated  on  the  inclosed  outline  the  location  of  Nelson. 

Yours, 
E.  B.  EDEN 


36  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

LETTER  OF  SHUMAN  TO  WEIK 

SULLIVAN,  ILLINOIS,  December  10,  1913 
JESSE  W.  WEIK,  Esq., 

GREENCASTLE,  INDIANA. 
DEAR  SIR: 

Your  letter  of  the  8th  received  and  will  be  glad  to  give  you  such 
information  as  I  can. 

The  village  to  which  you  refer  is  Nelson,  instead  of  Nelson ville. 
Moultrie  county  has  been  my  home  for  over  fifty  years  and  I 
am  familiar  with  the  towns,  villages,  etc.,  within  the  bounds  of 
the  county.  We  sometimes  call  the  place  old  Nelson  but  never 
Nelson  ville. 

It  is  located  about  five  miles  southeast  of  Sullivan,  on  the 
P.  D.  &  E.  (now  branch  of  I.  C.)  R.  R.  Nelson  was  for  many 
years  the  only  voting  place  in  East  Nelson  township.  If  you  have 
a  county  map  you  can  locate  it  where  sections  20,  21,  16,  and  17 
corner,  as  that  is  exactly  where  the  town  was  laid  off.  Nelson  was 
formerly  of  more  importance  than  at  present.  At  one  time,  I 
believe,  there  was  talk  of  making  it  the  county  seat  of  Moultrie 
county.  Lincoln  attended  court  at  Nelson. 

At  present  about  ten  or  a  dozen  families  live  at  Nelson.  My 
farm  is  located  two  miles  west  of  Nelson  on  the  railroad  and  as 
I  lived  on  this  place  a  number  of  years,  I  am  well  acquainted  with 
the  surrounding  country.  I  should  have  stated  that  Nelson  is 
located  in  East  Nelson  township  and  on  the  old  wagon  road 
between  Sullivan  and  Charleston. 

Trusting  this  will  be  of  some  assistance  to  you  and  assuring  you 
of  my  willingness  to  aid  you  with  any  additional  information  you 
may  desire,  I  am, 

Yours  very  truly, 

CHAS.  SHUMAN 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  37 

APPENDIX  D 
LETTER  OF  JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER  WITH  INCLOSURES 

December  13,  1912 
MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
MY  DEAR  MR.  THOMPSON: 

I  am  inclosing  to  you  a  copy  of  an  article  which  was  published 
some  years  ago  in  the  Springfield  News.  I  do  not  know  whether  or 
not  you  have  seen  it.  This  Mr.  Dowling  is  an  employee  here  in  the 
state  house  and  is  a  very  good  and  intelligent  man,  and  extremely 
interested  in  this  matter.  It  is  quite  possible  that  you  have  seen 
this  account,  .but  I  thought  it  might  be  of  interest  to  you,  and  I 
inclose  it.  Mr.  Dowling  also  has  a  little  state  map  which  he  has 
marked  as  the  route  which  he  thinks  the  Lincoln  family  took. 
With  kind  regards,  I  am 

Very  truly  yours, 
JESSIE  PALMER  WEBER 

[Extract  from  Springfield  News] 
HOW  LINCOLN  CAME  TO  ILLINOIS. 


RECOLLECTIONS  OF  A  MEMBER  OF  THE  PARTY  WHICH  EMIGRATED 
FROM  SPENCER  COUNTY,  IND.,  IN  1830. 


TOLD  BY  ONE  PRESENT. 


Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Dowling  Tells  of  Famous  Journey  and  Gives 
Interesting  Information  about  Lincoln  Family. 


It  was  in  the  spring  of  1830  according  to  the  biographers  that 
Abraham  Lincoln  with  his  father  and  stepmother  and  a  party  of 
relatives  left  his  home  in  Spencer  county,  Indiana,  and  in  regard  to 
this  hegira  a  new  and  interesting  story  has  been  learned  from  the 


38  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

lips  of  one  of  those  who  were  in  the  party.  The  story  in  its  main 
points  is  not  new,  but  it  contains  some  facts  that  seem  to  have 
escaped  the  historians.  Mrs.  Sarah  Jane  Dowling  of  Charleston, 
a  daughter  of  Dennis  Hanks,  nephew  of  Nancy  Hanks,  the  mother 
of  Abraham  Lincoln  tells  the  story  and  to  her  son,  Dennis  Hanks 
Dowling  The  News  is  indebted  for  it.  Mr.  Dowling,  who  is  a 
clerk  in  the  supply  department  of  the  secretary  of  state's  office, 
relates  the  facts  as  they  have  been  told  to  him  often  by  his  mother 
and  from  memoranda  which  he  has  preserved. 


The  route  followed  by  the  party  was  by  Vincennes,  Indiana,  and 
Lawrenceville,  Illinois,  up  through  Palestine  and  through  the 
southern  part  of  Clark  and  the  western  part  of  Coles  county,  near 
the  site  of  Mattoon,  and  thence  direct  to  Decatur.  Mrs.  Dowling 
says  that  they  lived  in  Macon  county  for  about  a  year  when  the 
chills  and  fever  were  so  bad  that  they  became  discouraged  and 
started  back  to  Indiana.  In  the  meantime  Abraham  Lincoln  had 
left  the  party  and  started  out  in  life  for  himself.  Arriving  at 
Wabash  Point,  where  Mattoon  now  is,  they  came  across  two 
families,  the  Sawyers  and  Radleys,  who  were  related  to  the  Lin- 
coins  and  these  people  induced  them  to  remain  in  Coles  county. 
Thomas  Lincoln  located  eight  miles  south  of  Charleston  and 
lived  there  the  rest  of  his  life  with  the  exception  of  two  years,  that 
he  and  Dennis  Hanks  ran  a  grist  mill  on  the  Embarras  river. 
This  fact,  Mrs.  Dowling  says,  is  not  generally  known.  Thomas 
Lincoln  moved  back  to  the  old  home  place,  where  he  died  in  1851, 
and  is  buried  in  the  old  Gordon  graveyard,  one  and  one-half  miles 
west.  His  wife  died  in  1869,  while  she  was  living  at  the  old  home 
place  with  John  J.  Hall. 

********** 

According  to  the  story  of  Mrs.  Dowling  the  party  traveled  from 
Indiana  in  two  wagons.  One  was  drawn  by  oxen  and  the  other 
by  horses,  the  latter  wagon  being  occupied  by  the  Hall  and  Hanks 
family.  The  men  of  the  party  walked  most  of  the  way  and  each 
one  carried  an  axe  which  they  used  to  cut  their  way  through  bush 
and  to  build  temporary  bridges  across  creeks  and  sloughs.  Among 
the  men  that  walked  were  the  three  Halls,  Squire,  Alfred,  and 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  39 

Joseph;  Dennis  Hanks  and  Abraham  Lincoln.  "Uncle"  Thomas 
Lincoln  attended  to  the  welfare  of  the  teams  and  the  women  and 
children  of  the  party. 


LETTER  OF  D.  H.  DOWLING 

January  1,  1913 
CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
DEAR  SIR: 

In  regard  to  the  route  taken  by  the  Lincoln  family  after  they 
left  Palestine,  Illinois,  for  Macon  county,  there  is  very  much  doubt. 
But  from  conversations  had  with  my  mother  on  the  subject  my 
impression  is  that  they  came  as  described  in  my  Springfield  News 
article  written  several  years  ago.  About  four  miles  south  and 
west  of  Mattoon,  Illinois,  at  that  time  was  a  small  settlement 
called  Wabash  Point  where  resided  some  relatives  of  Sarah  Bush 
Lincoln  by  the  name  of  Radley  and  Sawyer,  and  it  was  through 
the  influence  of  these  relatives  that  Thomas  Lincoln  and  Dennis 
Hanks  were  induced  to  locate  in  Coles  county,  after  they  had 
decided  to  return  to  Indiana  from  Macon  county,  Illinois.  At 
that  time,  there  was  no  place  called  Mattoon  and  only  a  few  houses 
in  Charleston  where  Dennis  Hanks  and  family  located  in  1832. 

In  early  days  there  were  several  stage  routes,  leading  through 
Charleston — one  to  St.  Louis,  one  to  Springfield,  Illinois,  one  to 
Terre  Haute,  Indiana,  and  one  to  Vincennes,  Indiana,  and  it  is 
quite  probable  that  after  they  left  Palestine  they  came  by  the 
Vincennes  route  to  Charleston  and  followed  the  state  road  west  to 
Wabash  Point  and  from  thence  to  Macon  county  For  further 
information  as  to  the  state  roads  and  stage  lines  leading  from 
Charleston  to  Vincennes,  Indiana,  I  would  suggest  that  you  write 
or  have  an  interview  with  John  Lee  residing  with  his  son,  the 
Hon.  C.  C.  Lee,  Charleston,  Illinois;  also  David  Green,  attorney- 
at-law,  Toledo,  Illinois.  These  gentlemen  are  very  old  men  and 
would  probably  remember.  The  map  I  have  is  worth  nothing 
for  history;  it  is  only  my  idea  of  the  route. 

Will  be  glad  to  be  of  assistance  at  any  time. 

Yours  truly, 

D.  H.  DOWLING 


40  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

APPENDIX  E 
STATEMENT  OF  Z.  D.  FRENCH 

LAWRENCEVILLE,  ILLINOIS 

It  is  the  tradition  in  and  around  the  city  of  Lawrence ville,  Illi- 
nois, that  the  Lincoln  family  in  going  from  Indiana  to  Illinois 
crossed  the  Wabash  river  at  Vincennes,  Indiana,  entered  Law- 
renceville  on  what  is  now  State  street,  turned  northward  on  what 
is  now  Tenth  street,  crossed  the  Embarras  river  at  the  point  where 
a  steel  bridge  now  stands,  and  journeyed  to  Palestine. 

Z.  D.  FRENCH 

APPENDIX  F 

Many  people  in  Clark  county  hold  the  opinion  that  the  Lin- 
coins  traveled  in  a  northwesterly  direction  from  York,  on  an  old 
Indian  trail,  and  not  on  to  Darwin.  Because  of  this  opinion  the 
evidence  supporting  the  opinion  is  included  in  the  report. 

EXTRACT  FROM  LETTER  OF  J.  F.  LAFFERTY 

MARTINS  VILLE,  ILLINOIS,  November  14th,  1912 

MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
DEAR  SIR: 

Inclosed  (in  separate  package  per  express)  you  will  find  skel- 
eton map  with  but  few  streams  marked,  and  none  of  the  dirt 
roads.  In  fact  there  were  no  laid  out  roads  before  1836  in  this 
county.  All  travel  was  on  trails.  The  "United  States  road"  (so 
called  by  the  engineers  of  the  regular  army)  was  laid  out  and 
surveyed — and  the  trees  grubbed  out  in  1828  and  1829 — but  no 
grading  done  until  1830  and  no  bridges  built  until  after  that  date 
— see  records  at  Springfield  on  file.  A  record  at  Marshall  shows 
a  trail  crossing  this  road  and  the  North  Fork  of  the  Embarras 
in  section  6  T.  10  N.  R.  13  W.  near  the  present  town  of  Martins- 
ville — but  no  other  trail  between  it  and  the  state  line.  The  name 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  41 


and  rank  of  the  officers  who  made  this  profile  were  on  it  but  no 
date.  Joshua  Chancellor  and  his  father's  family  came  here  from 
Kentucky  in  1829,  crossing  the  Wabash  at  Vincennes,  and  follow- 
ing the  Old  Indian  trail  from  Palestine  located  a  cabin  on  section 
6  T.  10  N.  R.  13  W.  They  had  only  two  neighbors,  Bena  Dolson 
(west  half  of  southwest  quarter  of  section  7  T.  9  N.  R.  12  W.) 
and  George  Parker  located  on  the  west  half  of  southeast  quarter 
of  section  31  T.  12  N.  R.  14  W.,  each  about  twelve  miles  away. 
There  were  thirteen  tribes  of  Indians  on  the  North  Fork  in  this 
county  and  Crawford  and  Edgar  counties,  because  General  Har- 
rison's treaty  banished  them  west  of  the  boundary  line  (see  map.) 
The  Piankashaw  had  a  wigwam  town  of  about  five  hundred  on 
section  2  T.  11  N.  R.  14  W. ;  the  Mingo  in  T.  12  N.  R.  14  W. ;  the 
Kickapoo  and  others  in  T.  9  N.  R.  14  W.  They  left  the  valley, 
1832,  taking  the  trail  northwest,  crossing  the  fords  on  the  river 
southeast  of  where  Charleston  is  now  located. 

********** 

The  land  records  at  Springfield  will  show  you  when  each  town 
and  range  was  surveyed — and  the  field  books  of  the  surveyors 
where  the  land  lines  cross  the  creeks — timber — prairies — ravines — 
ridges — Indian  trails,  etc.,  etc.;  and  you  can  get  them  and  you 
and  your  topographer  can  run  them  in  on  the  skeleton  map  I  send 
you  so  that  you  can  see  at  a  glance  the  whole  route  from  the  start 
to  the  finish. 

Yours  truly, 
JOHN  F.  LAFFERTY 

EXTRACT  FROM  LETTER  OF  JOHN  F.  LAFFERTY 

MARTINSVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  December  7,  1912 
MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
DEAR  SIR: 

I  have  sent  four  blank  townships  to  Mr.  A.  Harrison  and  re- 
quested him  to  mark  the  trail  in  T.  8  N.  R.  11  W.  (Crawford 
county)  and  also  in  T.  9  N.  R.  11  W.  and  T.  9  N.  R.  12  W.,  with  the 
location  of  Fort  Handy,  etc.  The  Indian  village  was  about  three- 


42  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

fourths  of  a  mile  northwest  of  Old  York — near  the  center  of  sec- 
tion 33  T.  9  N.  R.  11  W.  (see  map  of  Clark  county).  Fort  Handy 
was  on  the  northeast  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  section 
20  T.  9  N.  R.  11  W.,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  south  and  one-fourth 
of  a  mile  east  of  West  Union  (see  map). 

Mr.  Harrison  traced  the  trail  from  section  33  T.  8  N.  R.  11  W. 
(Crawford  county)  commencing  near  the  southeast  corner  of  the 
southwest  quarter  of  the  southwest  quarter  of  said  section  33  T. 
8  N.  R.  11  W.,  thence  north  crossing  the  northeast  corner  of  sec- 
tion 32  T.  8  N.  R.  11  W.,  thence  northwesterly  through  section 
29  T.  8  N.  R.  11  W.,  passing  Hutsonville  through  the  west  side  of 
the  present  town,  thence  northerly  through"  southeast  sections 
20,  17,  and  18,  passing  east  of  I.  K.  Musgrave's  residence  on  the 
south  half  of  the  southeast  quarter  of  section  18  T.  8  N.  R.  11  W. 
Thence  northerly  through  the  northeast  quarter  of  section  7  T.  8 
N.  R.  11  W.  Thence  north  and  east  through  sections  6  and  5  to 
the  county  line  about  one-half  a  mile  west  of  the  graveyard  west 
of  Old  York.  This  tracing  commences  six  miles  north  of  the  town 
of  Palestine  and  is  followed  closely  by  a  wagon  road  (see  county 
map  of  Crawford  county). 

********** 

You  will  notice  that  it  [the  tracing  by  Mr.  Harrison]  strikes  the 
Old  Indian  (or  Palestine)  trail  on  section  7  T.  9  N.  R.  12  W.  at 
the  house  of  Benjamin  Dolson  which  was  built  in  1824.  I  have 
examined  his  tracing  closely  and  compared  it  with  old  notes  and 
surveys  and  believe  it  to  be  as  nearly  correct  as  can  be  made  at 
this  date. 

The  next  house  built  on  this  trail  was  John  Chancellor's  on  the 
west  half  of  the  northwest  quarter  of  section  7  T.  10  N.  R.  13  W., 
A.  D.  1829  on  the  west  side  of  the  North  Fork  of  the  Embarras 
river  on  the  second  bottom  near  the  ford  and  about  one-half  a  mile 
above  the  present  iron  bridge  across  said  stream  on  the  United 
States  road  as  it  is  called  in  the  field  notes  of  aforesaid  road  filed 
in  the  war  department.  There  was  no  Martinsville  in  1830,  no 
Marshall,  no  Auburn,  no  Casey,  no  Greenup,  no  Grandview,  no 
Charleston,  no  Mattoon,  no  Coles  county,  no  McLansford,  or 
Blake's  Mill  ford.  There  were  no  houses  nearer  John  Chancellor's 
than  George  Parker's  on  the  east  half  of  the  southwest  quarter  of 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  43 

section  31  T.  12  N.  R.  14  W.,  about  two  and  a  third  or  three  miles 
north  of  this  old  Indian  trail  and  twelve  miles  away.  There  were 
no  stage  lines  or  state  roads  or  any  other  roads,  but  there  were 
several  tribes  of  Indians  along  the  North  Fork  until  the  year  1832 
when  the  agents  of  United  States  removed  them  taking  this  old 
trail  to  the  northwest.  As  there  were  no  roads  at  that  date 
(1830)  you  had  to  follow  the  trails  to  be  sure  of  getting  anywhere. 
You  will  note  the  Harrison  boundary  line  through  the  east  part 
of  the  county.  All  the  lands  east  of  this  line  were  surveyed  some 
three  to  five  years  before  those  west  of  said  line.  When  General 
W.  H.  Harrison  made  a  treaty  with  the  Piankashaw  Indians  this 
line  was  established  giving  a  broad  strip  of  land  reaching  east 
across  the  state  of  Indiana  to  the  Grouse  land  purchase.  (See 
maps  accompanying  reports  of  J.  Butterfield,  commissioner  to 
the  Hon.  T.  R.  Ewing,  secretary  of  the  interior  department,  Novem- 
ber 1849.)  This  treaty  required  the  Indians  to  vacate  all  the 
lands  east  of  this  line  on  or  before  1830,  but  United  States  did 
not  move  them  from  the  North  Fork  until  1832,  when  they  took 
the  old  trail  to  the  northwest. 

********** 

JOHN  F.  LAFFERTY 

P.  S.     I  will  try  and  get  you  the  entry  record  this  week. 

T.  T 


J.  F.  L. 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  ABRAM  HARRISON 


WEST  UNION,  CLARK  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 

December  11,  1912 

To  THE  LINCOLN  WAY  COMMISSION  OF  ILLINOIS, 

I,  Abram  Harrison,  a  resident  of  York  township,  West  Union, 
Clark  county,  Illinois,  aged  seventy-two  years,  have  always  re- 
sided all  my  life  in  this  township.  That  I  was  well  acquainted 
with  Aaron  Ball,  deceased,  an  old  resident  of  the  town  of  York, 
Clark  county,  Illinois,  and  that  about  the  years  1856  and  1858, 
his  son  Pemberton  got  into  trouble  out  about  Decatur  or  Spring- 
field, Illinois,  and  they  took  his  friends  Richard  Falley,  a  citizen 
of  York,  and  also  R.  P.  Ober,  a  merchant  and  a  prominent 


44  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

citizen  of  the  town  of  York,  and  went  to  the  trial;  and  that 
Mr.  Ball  got  Abraham  Lincoln,  then  a  lawyer,  to  attend  to  his 
case  thereby  forming  a  close  friendship  with  him.  That  when 
he  told  of  being  from  York,  Illinois,  Mr.  Lincoln  informed  him 
that  as  he  came  to  Illinois,  he  passed  by  the  town  and  on  up 
north  and  then  west  to  his  home  in  Illinois.  Mr.  Ball  informed 
me  that  he  passed  up  through  our  neighborhood  by  the  old  road 
near  our  place  and  on  to  north  and  west  of  Colonel  W.  B.  Archer's 
farm  and  on  north  and  west  on  the  old  trail  road  out  by  Anglin's 
grove  and  on  north  from  there  into  Illinois.  He  and  Colonel  W. 
B.  Archer  agreed  that  he  had  told  each  about  the  route  and  that 
the  Lincolns  had  come  by  the  way  of  Vincennes,  Indiana,  across 
the  Wabash  river  at  Vincennes  north  and  up  the  river  via  Rus- 
sellville,  Palestine,  Hutsonville,  and  York  and  thence  out  via  or 
near  the  old  Harrison  and  W.  B.  Archer  farms,  and  by  the  Samuel 
Handy  Brook's  lane  and  thence  north  and  then  north  and  west. 
He  understood  that  he  passed  from  York  up  to  and  via  the  grave- 
yard to  Sam  Lacey's,  Brooks,  and  Handy  lane  via  old  Fort 
Handy,  on  up  past  John  and  Stephen  Handy 's  and  thence  west 
and  north  and  up  by  the  prairie  route  to  Grand  View,  Illinois,  in 
Edgar  county,  Illinois,  and  stopped  there  a  few  days.  Most  of  the 
people  in  the  company  stopped  and  settled  in  Edgar  county  and 
the  Lincoln  and  Johnstone  families  went  on  farther  north  and 
west  into  Piatt  county,  or  Moultrie  county,  and  stayed  there  two 
years  and  then  moved  south  to  south  side  of  Coles  county,  where 
they  settled. 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  ABRAM  HARRISON 

WEST  UNION,  CLARK  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 
December  11,  1912 

As  per  request  of  the  commission  of  the  Lincoln  Way,  I  will  say 
that  the  statement  I  make  I  will  verify — that  I,  Abram  Harrison, 
of  West  Union,  Clark  county,  Illinois,  am  seventy-two  years  of 
age,  was  born  and  always  lived  in  this  York  township,  Clark 
county,  Illinois,  and  that  Colonel  William  B.  Archer  of  Clark 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  45 

county,  on  an  adjoining  farm  near  our  own,  and  I  often  talked 
about  matters  and  things;  and  he  was  a  prominent  man  in  this 
neighborhood  and  a  member  of  the  state  legislature,  county  clerk 
of  Clark  county,  and  informed  me  that  he  well  knew  and  was 
acquainted  with  Abraham  Lincoln,  our  lamented  martyred  presi- 
dent; and  he  informed  me  that  when  he  emigrated  from  Kentucky, 
Indiana,  to  Illinois  that  he  passed  through  our  immediate  neigh- 
borhood and  that  he  came  into  the  state  at  Vincennes,  Indiana, 
and  crossed  the  Wabash  river  to  Russellville,  Illinois,  thence  Pal- 
estine, Hutsonville,  York,  and  out  by  his  home  and  ours,  the  old 
Henry  Harrison  farms  east  of  Mr.  Archer's  farm,  and  on  out  the 
old  road  north  and  west  into  Illinois — the  old  trail  road  known 
as  the  old  Indian  trail — northwest ;  and  that  Lincoln  so  informed 
him  at  different  times  about  his  having  passed  through  the 
county  (Clark),  and  that  he  returned  later,  he  and  his  father 
Thomas  Lincoln,  to  York  township  north  of  York  and  bought 
seed  and  feed  corn  of  George  W.  Catron  on  Walnut  prairie  on 
the  farm  now  owned  by  J.  S.  Mundy  and  son. 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  ABRAM  HARRISON 

WEST  UNION,  CLARK  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 

December  11,  1912 
To  THE  COMMISSION  OF  THE  LINCOLN  WAY  : 

Per  request  will  say  that  I,  Abram  Harrison,  aged  seventy-two, 
a  resident  of  West  Union,  York  township,  Clark  county,  Illinois, 
that  I  have  always  resided  in  this  township,  and  that  I  was  well 
acquainted  with  Richard  Falley,  an  early  settler  of  this  township 
of  York,  now  deceased,  and  that  he  informed  me  that  he  went 
with  Aaron  Ball  out  in  Illinois,  to  Pemberton  Ball's  trial  for  Mr. 
Ball  as  witness  in  1856  or  1858  or  thereabout.  That  Abraham 
Lincoln  was  the  attorney  in  the  case  and  that  he  there  formed  the 
acquaintance  of  Lincoln  and  that  he  informed  me  that  when  in- 
formed that  he  lived  at  York,  Illinois,  he — Lincoln — told  him  that 
he  knew  the  town  as  he  had  passed  it  on  his  way  moving  from 
Indiana  to  Illinois;  that  he  came  via  Vincennes,  north  up  the 
Wabash  river  via  Russellville,  Palestine,  Hutsonville,  and  York 


46  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

and  on  up  by  Brooks's,  Lacey's,  and  Sam  Handy's  and  north 
and  west  on  the  old  trail  road  that  passed  near  Fort  Handy, 
John  Handy's  and  then  west  and  north  along  the  old  Indian  trail 
route  north  and  west  out  to  Dolson  prairie  and  north  up  into  Illi- 
nois, to  Grand  View,  Illinois,  where  most  of  the  movers  stopped 
and  settled  in  Edgar  county,  Illinois.  The  Lincoln  and  Johnston 
families  went  on  north  and  west  up  farther  into  Illinois,  where 
they  stayed  about  two  years  or  made  two  crops,  or  tried  to  make 
them  but  the  wet  weather  drowned  them  out,  when  they  moved 
south  into  Coles  county,  and  settled  there ;  and  that  he  later  went 
or  came  over  into  the  south  part  of  Clark  county,  to  get  seed 
corn;  he  got  his  corn  of  G.  W.  Catron  on  Walnut  prairie  and  went 
probably  via  Greenup,  Casey,  Martinsville,  West  Union  and 
returned  by  same  route. 


AFFIDAVIT  OF  ABRAM  HARRISON 

WEST  UNION,  ILLINOIS,  December  12,  1912 
To  THE  LINCOLN  WAY  COMMISSION  OR  WHOM  IT  MAY  CONCERN: 

That  I,  Abram  Harrison,  seventy-two  years  of  age  and  a  resident 
of  West  Union,  Clark  county,  Illinois,  say  that  I  was  well  acquainted 
with  Major  Robert  Lacey,  deceased,  who  was  an  old  settler  of 
York  township,  Clark  county,  Illinois,  and  lived  and  was  raised 
one-half  mile  south  of  Fort  Handy,  and  he  has  told  me  at  different 
times  that  the  Shaws,  Albert  and  Gilliad,  and  William  B .  Archer, 
an  old  resident  of  this  neighborhood,  and  all  acquainted  with 
Abraham  Lincoln  in  his  lifetime  and  that  Mr.  Lincoln  told  them 
(so  they  informed  me)  that  the  Lincolns — Thomas  and  Abraham 
— came  through  the  southeast  corner  of  Clark  county,  passed 
York  and  on  up  to  Fort  Handy,  thence  on  north  and  west  over 
the  old  trail  road  or  near  it  on  west  and  north  into  Illinois  when 
they  moved  from  Kentucky,  Indiana,  to  Illinois,  when  they  first 
came  to  the  state  of  Illinois.  Now  Samuel  Lacey,  ex-sheriff  of 
Clark  county,  and  brother  of  Robert  Lacey,  also  told  me  at  dif- 
ferent times  the  same  story  of  the  Lincoln  family's  route  to 
Illinois. 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  47 

I  certify  this  narrative  is  by  good  tradition  but  is  correct  as  I 
verily  believe,  and  being  sworn  to  the  same  so  declare  under  oath. 

A.  HARRISON 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  23d  day  of  December, 
1912. 

RUSSELL  POORMAN 

Notary  Public 


LETTER  OF  ABRAM  HARRISON 

WEST  UNION,  ILLINOIS,  July  27,  1913 
MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 
CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 

MY  DEAR  MR.  THOMPSON: 

Yours  of  the  22d  inst.  is  at  hand  and  I  make  this  reply.  The 
old  Indian  trail  leads  off  in  a  north  to  northwest  direction.  I  send 
you  a  rough  sketch  of  a  map  I  made  to  describe  the  place  of  the 
old  Henry  Harrison  residence,  also  William  B.  Archer's  residence 
west  of  it  on  the  line  of*the  old  trail.  The  trail  divides  and  runs 
northwest  on  both  the  north  and  south  side  of  a  branch  to  a  short 
distance  north  of  the  Harrison  residence,  when  they  come  together 
again  as  I  show  you  by  map. 

********** 

Respectfully, 

A.  HARRISON 


STATEMENT  OF  HON.  H.  C.  BELL 
[Prom  the  Marshall  (Illinois)  Herald,  November  27,  1912] 

WASHINGTON,  D.  C.,  November  23,  1912 

I  notice  in  one  of  the  Marshall  papers  that  Charles  M.  Thomp- 
son of  the  University  of  Illinois  has  just  completed  a  map  of  the 
"Lincoln  Way"  in  which  he  claims  that  the  Lincoln  caravan  cross- 
ed the  Wabash  river  at  Vincennes,  traveled  the  St.  Louis  stage 


48  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

road  to  Lawrence ville,  thence  north  through  Palestine,  York  and 
Darwin,  to  Paris,  etc.1 

This  has  not  been  my  idea  of  the  route  gathered  from  statements 
made  by  Colonel  William  B.  Archer,  Henry  Harrison,  Robert 
Lacy,  Samuel  Lacy,  Chester  Handy,  and  others  who  knew  more 
about  this  ' '  Lincoln  Way ' '  than  any  other  men  ever  knew  or  will 
ever  know,  in  all  probability,  because  some  of  them,  as  well  as  some 
of  the  elder  generation  of  Shaws  actually  saw  the  Lincoln  caravan 
passing,  and  talking  to  Lincoln  himself  about  this  very  matter 
at  one  time  when  in  Marshall,  and  also  on  another  occasion  when 
he  returned  to  York  township,  in  his  early  manhood,  or  boyhood 
rather,  for  the  purpose  of  buying  seed  corn,  and  who  actually  did 
buy  it  of  farmers  living  in  this  vicinity,  of  the  old  Mattie  Brown, 
Joe  Cork,  and  Jim  Mundy  farms  of  lower  Walnut  Prairie. 

William  B.  Archer,  Sam  Lacy,  Robert  Lacy,  Henry  Harrison, 
Chester  Handy  and  other  early  settlers  and  residents  of  Clark 
county,  as  well  as  the  elder  Shaws  often  talked  about  this  matter 
and  they  were  perfectly  conversant  with  the  real  route  that  the 
Lincoln  caravan  took  in  its  passage  through  Clark  county.  Among 
the  living  residents  of  Clark  county,  himself,  a  surveyor,  and  with 
an  extensive  and  accurate  knowledge  of  early  roads  and  Indian 
trails  through  Clark  county,  and  the  nephew  of  Henry  Harrison 
and  with  long  access  to  the  field  notes,  etc.,  of  his  uncle  Henry 
Harrison  and  there  may  possibly  be  others  living  who  often  talked 
with  most  of  the  men  above  mentioned  and  with  others  on  this 
very  subject  of  ''The  Lincoln  Way,"  is  Abe  Harrison  of  York 
township  and  from  what  they  have  all  said,  and  what  Abe  says 
now,  this  Lincoln  Way  never  touched  Darwin  or  Marshall,  nor  is 
it  certain,  or  indeed  likely  that  it  ever  passed  through  York.  ||f 

According  to  the  best  information  to  be  had,  and  from  men  like 
Sam  Lacy,  who  never  forgot  anything  he  ever  knew,  William  B. 
Archer,  Henry  Harrison,  Robert  Lacy,  Chester  Handy,  the  elder 
Shaws  and  Abe  Harrison  himself,  the  Lincoln  caravan,  which  con- 
sisted of  a  number  of  Lincolns,  Hanks,  and  other  families,  did 
cross  the  Wabash  at  Vincennes,  thence  to  Lawrence  ville  up  along 
the  old  Indian  river  trail  to  Russell  ville,  through  Palestine  and 
Hutson ville,  and  thence  on  up  to  the  Musgrave  place  in  Crawford 

1  Mr.  Bell  appears  to  have  been  misinformed  about  the  map. 


THE  LINCOLN  WAV  49 

county.  It  is  not  clear  whether  the  caravan  then  passed  through 
the  Raccoon  creek  bottoms,  by  the  lower  road,  as  it  is  called  and 
through  York,  or  whether  it  kept  on  upon  high  grounds  past  the 
old  Henry  Holliday  place  and  across  the  creek  somewhere  between 
the  now  Big  Four  railroad  bridge  and  the  place  where  the  iron 
bridge  spans  Raccoon  creek  near  the  old  Henry  Holliday,  Bill 
Lindley,  John  Lindley  farms;  but  inasmuch  as  the  Lincoln  caravan 
reached  the  Musgrave  place  where  the  road  between  Hutsonville 
and  York  forks,  in  the  early  spring  or  in  March  when  Raccoon 
creek  was  then  most  always  high,  and  when  it  would  have  been  dif- 
ficult to  get  to  York  by  the  lower  road,  as  it  is  called,  it  probably 
went  either  around  by  the  Holliday  place  or  crossed  the  creek  near 
the  Big  Four  railroad  bridge,  as  it  now  is  and  then  crossed  the  Aimes 
branch  near  the  big  spring  where  it  would  have  been  handy  and 
convenient  to  pitch  camp  for  the  night,  and  on  to  the  high  dry 
ridge  on  the  lands  now  owned  by  Dr.  Cullop  of  West  York,  and 
keeping  still  on  high  and  dry  land  and  still  pursuing  the  old  In- 
dian trail,  the  only  sort  of  roads  in  those  early  days,  on  through 
the  old  Bradbury,  Henry  Prevo,  Jonathan  Hogue  farms,  the  latter 
now  owned  by  Samuel  C.  Prevo,  and  sdll  on,  not  through  York, 
necessarily,  but  on  through  the  farms  now  owned  by  Robert 
Mitchell  and  Jim  Mitchell,  or  the  old  Henry  Prevo  farm,  and 
on  through  the  home  lands  of  Sam  and  Bob  Lacy,  and  who,  as 
I  remember,  actually  knew  of  the  passage  of  the  Lincoln  cara- 
van through  these  parts  of  Clark  county  and  thence  turning 
in  a  north  westernly  direction,  still  pursuing  the  old  Indian  trail 
which  was  said  to  have  traversed  a  hundred  miles  from  Vincennes 
to  Grandview,  in  Edgar  county,  where  the  Lincolns  tamed  for 
awhile  without  ever  having  to  go  over  but  one  or  two  hills,  one 
of  them  at  the  old  Alf  Cowden  farm  near  the  church,  Potter  Hall, 
I  believe  it  is  called. 

Not  only  did  the  parties  above  mentioned  tell  Henry  Harrison 
that  the  road  ran  along  the  route  indicated  above,  buc  Henry  Harri- 
son told  his  nephew  Abe  Harrison  often,  that  John  Ketchum, 
Aaron  Ball,  Richard  Falley,  Robert  P.  Ober,  all  old  residents  of 
York,  and  others  told  him,  Henry  Harrison,  that  the  way  I  have 
indicated  was  the  real  "Lincoln  Way"  through  York  township, 
and  one  of  them  remembered  of  its  actually  passing  through  the 


50  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

site  where  York  now  stands,  though  some  of  the  Lincoln  cara- 
van people  probably  did  drift  into  York  to  get  supplies  for 
themselves  and  stock.  Aaron  Ball  well  knew  Lincoln,  in  fact 
Lincoln  defended  Pemberton  Ball,  the  son  of  Aaron  Ball,  for  some- 
thing he  had  done  and  Aaron  Ball,  nor  whom  no  better  or  honester 
man  ever  lived,  well  knew  Lincoln,  having  to  consult  him  about 
the  trouble  of  his  son  "Pern"  as  he  was  familiarly  called  and  he 
told  Henry  Harrison  that  he  talked  with  Lincoln  about  his  route 
through  Clark  county  and  what  route  he  took  after  leaving 
either  York  or  its  vicinity,  and  from  the  understanding  of  Mr. 
Ball,. as  well  as  by  that  of  all  the  men  above  indicated,  the 
"  Lincoln  Way  "  never  passed  through  either  Darwin  nor  Marshall, 
and  it  is  not  certain  that  it  passed  even  through  York,  though  it 
did  certainly  pass  through  it  or  half  a  mile  west  of  the  present  site 
of  that  ancient  village  of  the  Wabash  valley. 

On  this  journey  of  the  Lincolns  from  Kentucky  to  Grandview, 
and  perhaps  on  to  Charleston,  and  in  about  two  years  back  to  a 
place  just  south  of  the  Cumberland  county  line  called  Goose  Nest, 
not  "Goose  Neck"  prairie,  where  the  Lincolns  settled,  and  it  was 
from  this  point  that  Abe  journeyed  to  Walnut  Prairie  to  buy 
seed  corn  sometime  afterwards,  and  where  Abe  bought  corn  of 
George  W.  Catron,  off  the  farm  as  is  understood  now  owned  by 
Jim  Mundy.  This  old  Indian  trail  that  Lincoln  and  his  associate 
emigrants  to  the  rich  lands  of  Illinois,  journeyed  as  it  is  believed 
passed  near  the  old  Hogue  place  where  the  writer  as  a  bare  footed 
boy  dragged  himself  reluctantly,  persuaded  along  by  the  sharp 
cutting  hazel  switch  his  fond  mother  wielded  in  the  long,  long 
ago.  It  crossed  the  spot  along  the  line  of  where  the  Big  Four 
railroad  now  runs  on  the  lands  I  think  now  owned  by  my  old 
boyhood  and  manhood  friend,  Jim  Prevo;  thence  north,  through 
the  old  Henry  Harrison  lands ;  through  the  land  now  owned  by  the 
Crow  boys;  then  through  the  old  Billy  Archer  lands  now  owned 
by  the  Bartlett's ;  thence  on  up  past  the  old  Alf  Cowden  farm  and 
on  to  where  Darien  now  stands,  and  thence  in  a  northeasterly 
direction  to  Grandview,  where  the  Johnson,  O'Hair  and  a  few  other 
families  stopped. 

On  this  trip,  the  Lincolns  had  two  wagons,  one  drawn  by  an  ox 
team  driven  by  young  Abe,  and  the  other  driven  by  Abe's  father, 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  51 

and  so  this  is  the  general  route  which  the  "Lincoln  Way"  dragged 
its  weary  way  along  in  those  far  off  and  hazy  times  of  the  fast  fading 
past  as  stated  by  such  men  as  Sam  and  Robert  Lacy,  Aaron  Ball, 
Richard  Falley,  Robert  Ober,  Henry  Harrison,  William  B.  Archer, 
Chester  Handy  and  now  by  Abe  Harrison  who  had  his  information 
from  these  men,  who  is  himself  a  surveyor  and  a  perfect  mine  of 
old  road  and  Indian  trail  lore  and  who  is  firm  in  the  belief  that  the 
"Lincoln  Way"  as  it  is  called  did  not  touch  Darwin  or  Marshall 
and  probably  not  even  York  closer  than  half  a  mile,  the  old 
Reason  Bell  farm  now  owned  by  Robert  and  Jim  Nicol.  And  so 
we  believe  that  Professor  Charles  M.  Thompson  of  the 
of  Illinois,  in  his  just  completed  map  of  the  far  famed 
Way"  is  off  in  his  location  of  the  route  the  Lincolns  t 
through  Clark  county,  as  it  now  is,  and  as  for  me,  \would  rather 
have  the  intimate  and  first  hand  informationJg^such  men  as  I 
have  named  who  either  lived  in  the  vicinit^yiJMKe  old  Indian  trail 
route  the  Lincolns  took  and  traveled  iaS^feir  passage  from  Vin- 
cennes  and  especially  through  Clark  county,  where  they  then 
lived  or  else  had  obtained  it  first  hand  from  those  who  knew  to  a 
certainty  to  the  Lincolns'  final  stopping  place,  at  least  for  some 
years,  on  Goose  Nest  Prairie,  Cumberland  county,  Illinois,  supple- 
mented by  the  varied  and  accurate  road  knowledge  of  Abe  Harri- 
son, than  to  take  the  word  of  the  noted  professor  in  his  aforesaid 
map,  and  I  firmly  believe  that  the  one  I  have  named  was,  in  the 
main  the  route  the  Lincolns  took  in  their  journey  from  Vincennes 
to  Lawrenceville,  Russellville,  Palestine,  Hutsonville,  west  of 
York,  out  by  Alf  Cowden  place,  and  on  to  Darien  up  to  Grand- 
view,  where  part  of  the  caravan  halted  forever  more,  and  on  to 
Charleston,  and  finally  back  to  Goose  Nest  Prairie  where  the 
Lincolns  finally  unshipped  their  freight,  where  Uncle  Abe  unyoked 
his  steers  and  settled  down  to  prepare  himself,  at  least  partially 
for  the  presidency,  the  emancipation  of  a  race  and  his  final  exit 
to  immortal  fame  through  the  gateway  of  life,  opened  for  him  by 
the  pistol  shot  of  a  dastardly  assassin  on  the  fourteenth  of  April, 
1865,  at  Ford's  theatre  in  this  city.1 

H.  C.  BELL 

1  It  seems  unnecessary  to  point  out  a  number  of  misstatements  of  histori- 
cal facts  in  the  preceding  article,  for  they  have  no  bearing  whatever  on  the 
investigation. 


52  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  JAMES  BENNETT 
STATE  OF  ILLINOIS, 


CC 

CRAWFORD  COUNTY  ] 

WEST  YORK,  ILLINOIS,  August  12,  1913 

I  was  born  in  Crawford  county,  Illinois,  near  the  present  town 
of  West  York,  in  1822,  and  have  been  a  resident  of  this  section 
nearly  all  my  life.  I  was  acquainted  with  the  early  roads  and 
trails  of  Clark  and  Crawford  counties,  and  have  heard  the  older 
people  of  this  neighborhood  talk  of  the  Lincolns  going  through 
here  on  their  journey  from  Gentryville,  Indiana,  to  Decatur,  Illi- 
nois, in  1830,  I  myself  being  at  that  time  eight  years  of  age. 

JAMES  BENNETT 
Witness 

EMMA  KNIGHT 
CHARLES  W.  MOORE 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  12th  day  of  August, 
1913. 

CHARLES  W.  MOORE 

Notary  Public 

APPENDIX  G 
LETTER  OF  JOSEPH  A.  HALL 

JANESVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  January  9,  1913 
MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 
CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 

MY  DEAR  MR.  THOMPSON: 

Your  letter  of  the  7th  at  hand  and  was  very  glad  to  hear  from 
you.  My  father  said  that  they  came  through  Palestine  and  that 
they  followed  an  old  Indian  trail  northwest  from  there,  as  there 
were  no  main  roads  as  there  are  today,  as  they  had  to  pick  their 
way  as  best  they  could.  Dennis  Hanks  often  visited  my  father 
here  at  the  old  cabin  and  stayed  as  long  as  a  month  at  a  time, 
and  I  have  heard  them  both  talk  about  how  they  came  and  what 
a  time  they  had  on  the  road  and  they  both  agreed  that  they 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  53 

came  through  Palestine  in  the  direction  I  have  mentioned.  My 
father  said:  "Dennis,  don't  you  mind  when  we  crossed  Hurri- 
cane how  we  all  like  to  got  drowned?"  I  have  also  heard  my 
father  and  Dennis  Hanks  both  say  that  there  was  a  deer  lick 
near  the  farm,  that  night  overtook  them,  and  they  camped  over 
night.  My  father  said  that  they  camped  at  Muddy  Point  near 
the  little  town  of  Paradise  and  that  they  stopped  with  a  family 
named  Radley.  My  father  said  his  name  was  Ichabod  Radley. 
The  bridge  that  Dennis  Hanks  worked  on  was  built  across  the 
Embarras  river  at  the  McCann's  ford.  I  never  heard  my  father 
or  uncle  Dennis  Hanks  speak  of  a  family  by  the  name  of  Harrison. 
I  have  heard  my  father  say  that  they  traveled  north  through  the 
western  edge  of  what  is  now  Mattoon,  that  they  could  have  entered 
land  where  Mattoon  is  now  for  $1.25  an  acre  but  it  was  so  low  and 
swampy  that  nobody  could  live  there. 

Yours  truly, 

JOSEPH  A.  HALL 

APPENDIX  H 
LETTER  OF  SECOND  ASSISTANT  POSTMASTER  GENERAL 

January  20,  1913 
MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 

509  EAST  SPRINGFIELD  AVENUE, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
SIR: 

Receipt  is  acknowledged  of  your  letter  of  the  7th  instant,  re- 
questing further  information  concerning  the  early  mail  routes  in 
eastern  Illinois  in  order  to  enable  you  to  determine  the  route  taken 
by  the  Lincoln  family  in  removing  from  Indiana  to  Illinois  in  1830. 

In  reply  I  have  to  inform  you  that  the  records  of  this  office  indi- 
cate that  the  contract  on  route  no.  71:  Vandalia,  Cold  Spring, 
Shelbyville,  Locust  Grove,  Cochran's  Grove,  Paradise  (Hanson's), 
Cole  C.  H.  (Morton's  store),  Bachelorsville  and  Sutherland,  to 
Paris  (Edgar  county),  Illinois,  was  for  service  commencing 
January  1,  1830.  It  appears,  however,  that  a  postoffice  was 
established  at  Coles  Court  House  in  Coles  count v,  March  31,  1831. 


54  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

It  cannot  be  determined  at  what  point  the  Wabash  river  was 
crossed  by  route  no.  74:  Vincennes,  Indiana,  Palestine  (Craw- 
ford county),  Hutsonville,  York,  Clark  C.  H.  (Darwin),  Lexing- 
ton, Paris,  Ono  or  Union,  Bloomfield,  Carolus,  and  Georgetown  to 
Danville,  Illinois.  There  does  not  appear  to  have  been  any  route 
to  Decatur  from  Springfield  and  Shelby ville.  The  only  route  to 
Decatur  in  operation  in  1830  was  route  no.  83 :  Decatur  (Macon 
county)  Randolph's  Grove,  Bloomington,  O'Hara  and  Chestnut 
to  Chicago. 

Very  respectfully, 

JOSEPH  STEWART 
Second  Assistant  Postmaster  General 


APPENDIX  I 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  LEWIS  E.  MOORE 

I,  Lewis  E.  Moore  of  Janesville,  Illinois,  was  born  in  the  year 
1840  about  three-fourths  of  a  mile  northeast  of  what  is  known  as 
the  Abraham  Lincoln  log  cabin  in  Coles  county,  Illinois,  which 
was  situated  two  and  one-half  miles  northeast  of  Janesville,  Illinois. 
I  personally  knew  Thomas  Lincoln  and  his  last  wife.  I  also  knew 
Abraham  Lincoln  and  I  also  lived  within  one-half  mile  of  Thomas 
Lincoln  all  the  time  he  lived  on  the  said  Lincoln  farm,  two  and 
one-half  miles  northeast  of  Janesville,  and  went  to  the  graveyard 
when  Thomas  Lincoln  was  buried  and  have  heard  him  tell  of  his 
early  days  and  travels  and  from  the  best  of  my  judgment  as  I 
now  remember  from  all  that  he  told  me,  he  crossed  the  Ambraw 
river  on  coming  to  this  county  from  Indiana  at  what  is  known  as 
the  McCann's  ford,  just  about  one-half  a  mile  north  of  due  east 
of  the  Lincoln  farm. 

L.  E.  MOORE 

J.  A.  SCHOMMER, 

Witness  Notary  Public 

J.  D.  MARTIN 
ABE  L.  HALL 
W.  J.  MOORE 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  55 

APPENDIX  J 

STATEMENT  OF  D.  T.  GORDON 

The  Lincoln  Way  from  Indiana  to  Illinois  crossed  the  Wabash 
river  at  Vincennes,  Indiana,  then  taking  the  Cincinnati  and  St. 
Louis  plank  road  to  Lawrenceville,  Illinois,  recrossed  the  Em- 
barras  river  at  a  ford  four  miles  northwest  of  Lawrenceville  at  a 
place  called  Sharletsville.  Thence  near  Hen  Peck  [?]  or  now  Ob- 
long, Crawford  county,  thence  to  Long  Point,  thence  near  Union 
Center,  Cumberland  county,  thence  to  the  Embarras  river  at  the 
McCann's  ford,  thence  by  the  Gordon  graveyard  where  both  my 
grandfathers  lived  at  that  time,  Grandfather  Gordon  and  Grand- 
father Barham,  thence  to  Paradise  on  the  Little  Wabash  river. 
My  father  was  in  Captain  Abe  Lincoln's  company  during  the  Black 
Hawk  Indian  war  and  I  have  heard  my  father  tell  this  story  many 
times.  My  grandfathers  came  to  Coles  county  in  1823,  were  the 
first  white  settlers  in  what  is  Goosenest  Prairie  and  my  father 
was  the  first  white  man  married  in  the  detached  part  of  Clark 
county  where  the  county  seat  was  at  Darwin  on  the  Wabash 
river.  My  grandfather  Gordon  gave  the  land  that  is  known  as 
the  Gordon  graveyard  where  Thomas  Lincoln  is  buried;  this  I 
know  by  hearing  my  father  Patrick  H.  Gordon  tell  it. 

Signed,  sealed  and  delivered  this  the  15th  day  of  February,  1913. 

D.  T.  GORDON 
Age  68  years 

APPENDIX  K 

NOTES  FROM  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  COURT  RECORDS, 

COLES  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 

Paradise  was  a  postoffice  in  1830  located  at  the  house  of  George 
Hansen  who  lived  on  the  state  road  from  Paris  to  Shelbyville. 
(See  Appendix  H.)  In  August,  1836  Paradise  was  laid  out  in  sec- 
tion 33, T.  12N.R.  HE.,  on  state  road  running  from  Charleston 
to  Shelbyville.  Later  this  site  was  abandoned  and  is  now  farm 
land.  In  February,  1837,  another  town  called  Paradise  was  laid 
out  in  section  8,T.11N.R.11E.  The  latter  is  the  location  of  the 
present  Paradise.  See  plat  book  in  circuit  clerk's  office,  Charles- 
ton, Illinois. 


56  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

APPENDIX  L 
NOTES  ON  THE  CUMBERLAND  ROAD 

Contracts  made  during  September  and  October,  1830  for  open- 
ing the  Cumberland  road  in  Illinois.  21  Congress,  2  session,  house 
of  representatives,  executive  documents,  3:  doc.  73. 

"At  the  time  operations  were  first  commenced  on  the  Cumber- 
land Road  in  Illinois,  there  was,  from  the  state  line  to  Vandalia, 
but  a  single  house  on  the  road,  and  that  was  near  the  eastern 
extremity."  23  Congress,  1  session,  house  of  representatives, 
executive  documents,  5:  doc.  417. 

APPENDIX  M 
STATEMENT  OF  HANNAH  E.  ALLISON 

LERNA,  ILLINOIS,  January  11,  1913 

Mrs.  Hannah  Eveline  Allison  born  at  Farmington,  Bedford 
county,  Tennessee,  in  1822;  moved  to  Illinois  in  1834,  first  stopped 
at  Muddy  Point.  The  road  across  the  McCann's  ford  I  saw  in  the 
winter  of  1834  and  it  came  west,  then  south,  then  west,  then  north, 
then  angled  across  northwest  to  Muddy  Point  out  to  Paradise. 

HANNAH  E.  ALLISON 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOSEPH  ARMSTRONG 

JANESVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  December  16,  1912 
I,  Joseph  Armstrong,  of  Charleston,  Illinois,  was  born  in  High- 
land county,  Virginia,  August  11,  1823  and  came  to  Coles  county, 
Illinois,  in  1844,  and  have  lived  within  four  miles  of  the  Lincoln 
homestead  ever  since,  and  personally  knew  Abraham  Lincoln  and 
Thomas  Lincoln,  and  Thomas  Lincoln's  last  wife,  Sarah  Bush, 
and  was  at  Thomas  Lincoln's  funeral,  which  was  preached  by 
John  Adams,  a  Methodist  minister.  I  have  seen  Abraham  Lin- 
coln on  different  trips  to  the  homestead,  as  many  as  four  different 
times;  I  helped  build  a  bridge  across  the  Ambraw  river  at  the 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  57 

McCann's  ford  in  1846  and  there  was  a  crossing  at  the  McCann's 
ford  for  a  number  of  years  previous  to  this  time  which  was  the 
main  place  to  cross  the  river  at  that  time,  and  the  road  at  that 
place  east  of  the  river  after  winding  around  some  ran  in  a  southeast 
direction.  There  was  a  postoffice  at  Campbell,  when  I  first  came 
to  this  country  and  had  been  there  I  understand  a  number  of 
years  before.  The  postmaster  was  Eugene  Campbell,  who  kept 
the  postoffice  at  the  edge  of  what  was  called  goosenest  prairie, 
a  scope  of  country  about  three  or  four  miles  square,  adjacent  to 
the  Lincoln  homestead.  The  contractors  I  worked  for  in  build- 
ing the  bridge  across  the  river  at  McCann's  ford  were  Gilpin  and 
Leach. 

JOSEPH  ARMSTRONG 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  the  17th  day  of  Decem- 
ber 1912. 

GEORGE  GORDON 
Notary  Public 

AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOHN  W.  RODGERS 

JANESVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  December  3,  1912 

I,  John  W.  Rodgers  of  Lerna,  Illinois,  was  born  in  1832  in  San- 
gamon  county,  Illinois,  and  came  to  Coles  county,  Illinois,  the 
same  year.  I  was  personally  acquainted  with  Thomas  Lincoln 
and  his  last  wife,  and  also  acquainted  with  Abraham  Lincoln, 
and  also  knew  when  Thomas  Lincoln  lived  on  what  is  known 
as  the  Lincoln  farm  two  and  a  half  miles  northeast  of  Janes ville, 
Illinois.  I  further  know  that  John  McCann,  an  early  settler,  lived 
about  forty  rods  east  of  what  is  known  as  the  McCann's  ford 
and  from  whom  the  ford  took  its  name  and  said  McCann  was 
living  there  even  before  and  while  Thomas  Lincoln  lived  on  the 
above  named  farm. 

JOHN  W.  RODGERS 

Subscribed  to  and  sworn  to  before  on  this  the  3d  day  of  Decem- 
ber, 1912. 

GEORGE  GORDON 
Notary  Public 


58  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

STATEMENT  OF  JESSIE  PHIPPS 

JANESVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  January  14,  1913 

I,  Jessie  Phipps,  was  born  in  the  year  1833  in  Marion  county, 
Ohio,  and  came  to  Illinois  in  1840  to  Coles  county,  and  have  lived 
sometimes  nearer,  and  never  to  exceed  three  miles  from  the 
Lincoln  homestead  ever  since.  And  the  first  road,  and  the  main 
traveled  road  I  ever  knew  running  from  the  McCann's  ford  was  in 
a  westerly  direction  to  about  one  mile,  and  thence  south  one-half 
mile,  thence  west  by  the  Lincoln  homestead,  thence  intersecting 
the  Charleston  and  Greenup  road  just  west  of  the  Lincoln  home- 
stead, thence  north  to  the  north  edge  of  Farmington,  thence  west 
to  about  two  and  one-half  miles,  thence  north  one-half  mile, 
thence  west  intersecting  the  Paradise  road. 

JESSIE  PHIPPS 


STATEMENT  OF  L.  E.  MOORE 

JANESVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  January  10,  1913 

I,  L.  E.  Moore,  was  born  in  1840  in  a  cabin  right  by  the  side  of 
the  road  that  ran  from  McCann's  ford  to  the  Lincoln  homestead  and 
said  road  then  ran  practically  the  same  as  it  does  now  with  proba- 
bly one  very  small  angle  and  ran  by  the  Lincoln  homestead  and  to 
the  west  side  of  the  farm  and  then  near  that  point  ran  northwest 
by  the  Gordon  cemetery,  ran  on  west. 

L.  E.  MOORE 
Witness 

J.  D.  MARTIN 
A.  L.  HALL 


APPENDIX  N 

NOTES  FROM  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  COURT  RECORDS, 
COLES  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 

11  David  Dry  den  and  others  presented  a  petition  praying  a  view 
of  a  county  road,  commencing  on  the  Clark  County  line  at  the 
head  of  long  point  creek  on  a  path  now  used,  thence  west  to 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  59 

Embarras  River  at  what  is  called  Logans  ford  near  where  John 
McCann  now  lives  thence  through  Goosenest  prairie,  near  Indian 
creek,  thence  the  nearest  and  best  road  to  Shelby  County  line  in  a 
direction  to  Shelbyville." 

APPENDIX  O 
AFFIDAVIT  OF  JOHN  W.  CAIN 

JANESVILLE,  ILLINOIS,  December  16,  1912 
I,  John  W.  Cain  of  Charleston,  Illinois,  was  born  in  the  year 
1840,  in  Monroe  county,  Indiana,  and  came  to  Coles  county, 
Illinois,  in  the  year  1865,  August  2d,  and  have  lived  within  ten 
miles  of  the  Lincoln  homestead,  every  year  since  I  came  here, 
with  the  exception  of  one  year,  and  the  majority  of  that  time, 
have  lived  within  four  miles  of  the  Lincoln  homestead,  and  for 
twenty  years  lived  within  one  and  one-half  miles  of  the  Lincoln 
homestead  in  Coles  county,  Illinois,  and  I  also  have  been  ac- 
quainted with,  and  associated  as  a  particular  friend  with  John  J. 
Hall  for  forty  years  before  he  died,  April  4,  1909,  he  being  one  of 
the  party  that  came  over  with  the  Lincolns,  and  I  swear  on  oath 
that  I  heard  John  J.  Hall  say  that  on  crossing  the  Hurricane,  a 
stream  southeast  of  here  a  short  way,  that  on  coming  from  Indi- 
ana, the  wagon  mired  down  in  this  stream  and  that  they  had 
quite  a  cime  crossing  the  same  which  is  located  southeast  of  said 
Lincoln  homestead. 

JOHN  W.  CAIN 

Signed  and  sworn  to  this  the  17th  day  of  December  1912. 

GEORGE  GORDON 
Notary  Public 

APPENDIX  P 
AFFIDAVIT  OF  ROBERT  FRANCIS 

STATE  OF  ILLINOIS, 
COUNTY  OF  CLARK 

This  the  28th  day  of  December,  A.  D.  1912,  personally  appeared 
before  the  undersigned,  a  notary  public  in  and  for  said  county  and 


60  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

state,  Robert  Francis,  a  resident  of  Martinsville,  Illinois,  who  being 
duly  sworn  on  oath  states  as  follows : 

That  he  was  born  in  England  in  1832  and  came  to  this  country 
in  1837,  and  has  lived  in  this  county  over  seventy  years.  That,  to 
the  best  of  his  knowledge  and  belief,  in  March,  1863  he  was  on  his 
way  from  Martinsville  to  Charleston,  traveling  on  foot  on  the  old 
York  and  Charleston  road;  that  when  between  what  was  known  as 
the  Rev.  Lee  place  and  the  Round  Grove,  he  was  overtaken  by  a 
man  in  a  wagon,  who  on  learning  that  he  was  on  his  way  to  Charles- 
ton, invited  him  to  ride.  In  the  conversation  that  followed  the 
name  of  Abraham  Lincoln  was  brought  up  in  connection  with  the 
Lincoln-Douglas  debate  at  Charleston.  The  man  said  that  he  had 
seen  Thomas  and  Abe  Lincoln  near  that  place,  when  they  moved 
from  Indiana  to  Illinois,  and  that  he  could  show  him  where  they 
camped  near  what  was  then  known  as  the  blue  mound;  that 
he  was  there  watching  for  deer  when  the  Lincoln  caravan  drove 
up  and  camped  for  the  night ;  that  he  talked  with  Thomas  Lincoln 
for  about  an  hour  asking  him  his  name  and  giving  his,  and  that 
during  the  conversation  he  noticed  Abe  Lincoln,  whom  he  judged 
at  the  time  to  be  about  seventeen  or  eighteen  years  old,  as  he 
busied  himself  about  the  camp  work,  and  remarking  his  awkward 
and  uncouth  appearance,  which  was  recalled  to  his  mind  in  later 
years,  on  hearing  Lincoln  plead  law. 

And  affiant  further  states  that  this  blue  mound  was  on  the  left 
of  both  the  then  traveled  wagon  road  and  the  old  Indian  trail, 
and  was  northwest  of  what  is  now  known  as  the  round  grove  in 
section  29,  Parker  township,  Clark  county,  Illinois,  and  that 
they  stood  up  in  the  wagon  to  see  better  when  the  man  pointed 
out  the  Lincoln  camping  place. 

ROBERT  FRANCIS 
Witness 

H.  GASAWAY 

JAMES  W.  McNARY 

E.  S.  CLAYTON 

Subscribed  and  sworn  to  before  me  this  28th  day  of  December, 
A.  D.  1912. 

H.  GASAWAY 
Notary  Public 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  61 

APPENDIX  Q 

EXTRACTS  FROM  STATE  LAWS 

County  roads  leading  from  Wabash  river,  opposite  Vincennes 
through  Lawrence,  Crawford,  Clark,  Edgar  and  Vermilion  counties 
to  Danville  are  declared  state  roads.  Road  passing  through  Alli- 
son Prairie,  called  the  Christian  Settlement,  and  from  thence  to 
Palestine  declared  part  of  state  road.  Revised  code  of  1829,  p.  133. 

EXTRACT  FROM  THE  MISSOURI  REPUBLICAN,  JULY  3,  1822 

Mail  went  by  Ellison  (Allison)  Prairie,  Palestine,  York,  Aurora, 
Grand  Prairie,  in  Clark  county  to  Clinton. 

NOTES  FROM  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  COURT  RECORDS  OF 
LAWRENCE  COUNTY,  ILLINOIS 

Ferry  across  Embarras  river  at  Lawrenceville — north  and  south 
— established  June,  1825. 

Ferry  at  Yellow  Banks  by  Nabb  and  Fail  authorized  June,  1825. 

Ferry  established  at  Vincennes,  September,  1825. 

March,  1830.  Henry  Du  Bois  presented  petition  to  change 
road  from  Vincennes  (opposite  Vincennes)  to  Palestine.  Peti- 
tion reads  as  follows: 

"Commencing  J  mile  above  stream  mill  in  T.  &  D.  Harrison's 
land  then  running  nearly  on  the  bank  of  the  Wabash  River  to  the 
house  of  Littleton  Timm's,  thence  to  the  farm  of  Mr.  Cockran 
thence  to  mouth  of  Bell  Grove;  to  farm  of  Dr.  Keykendall  where 
it  will  intersect  Palestine  Road." 

APPENDIX  R 

NOTES  FROM  COUNTY  COMMISSIONERS  COURT  RECORDS  OF 
COLES  COUNTY 

In  March,  1831  Ichabod  Radley  lived  in  Wabash  precinct,  which 
included  the  Paradise  settlement,  sometimes  called  the  Wabash 
Point  settlement. 


62  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

APPENDIX  S 
LETTER  OF  JAMES  A.  STEELE 

SULLIVAN,  ILLINOIS,  November  12th,  1914 
CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
DEAR  SIR: 

In  reply  to  yours  of  the  9th  re  the  Lincoln  road  through  Moul- 
trie  county,  will  say  that  I  have  seen  Mr.  James  Purvis,  who  is  our 
oldest  resident  in  chis  vicinity,  and  he  has  prepared  a  map  of  the 
first  road  through  here  which  is  undoubtedly  the  one  we  want.  I 
send  you  this  map  under  separate  cover. 

The  road  entered  Moultrie  county  from  Coles  county  near  the  Jim 
Elder  postoffice,  then  across  the  Kaskaskia,  or  Okaw  as  it  is  called 
here,  where  there  was  a  ford  called  Willow  ford  near  what  is  now 
known  as  Spaugh  bridge,  then  to  Julia  Ann  tavern,  from  there  to 
what  is  now  Chipps  station  on  the  C.  &  E.  I.  R.  R.  where  there 
was,  and  still  is,  a  good  spring  which  was  then  a  favorite  camping 
place  on  this  road.  From  there  it  went  to  the  Black  Horse  tavern 
in  Lovington,  thence  west  to  a  point  south  of  Decatur  thus  entering 
Decatur  from  the  south  but  Mr.  Purvis  is  not  familiar  with  that 
part  of  the  route. 

The  west  branch  of  the  Kaskaskia,  where  they  would  cross  it 
between  Lovington  and  Decatur,  is  not  much  more  than  a  small 
creek  and  would  afford  no  serious  obstacle  to  their  passage. 

Mr.  Purvis  told  me  this  morning  that  he  thought  you  might  get 
some  further  information  from  Robert  Bracken  of  Cherrie  Vale, 
Kansas,  who  was  born  near  here. 

Hoping  this  may  throw  some  light  on  the  topic  in  which  we  are 
all  interested  I  am 

Respectfully  yours, 

JAMES  A.  STEELE 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  63 

APPENDIX  T 
EXTRACT  FROM  LETTER  OF  JUDGE  J.  O.  CUNNINGHAM 

URBANA,  ILLINOIS,  October  30,  1911 
MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 
CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS 

MY  DEAR  SIR: 

Yours  asking  for  Mr.  Lincoln's  remarks  "about  having  come 
through  Decatur  on  their  way  to  Macon  County,"  is  before  me. 

Major  Henry  C.  Whitney  in  his  "Life  on  the  Circuit  with  Lin- 
coln" alludes  to  1<his  visit  to  Decatur  and  quotes  his  recollections 
of  what  Mr.  Lincoln  said  upon  that  occasion,  using  these  words: 
"After  supper  we  strolled  out  for  a  walk  and  when  we  came  to  the 
court  house  Lincoln  walked  out  a  few  steps  in  front  and  after 
shifting  his  position  two  or  three  times  he  said,  as  he  looked  up  at 
the  building,  partly  to  himself  and  partly  to  me,  "Here  is  the  exact 
spot  where  I  stood  by  our  wagon  when  we  moved  from  Indiana 
twenty-six  years  ago;  this  isn't  six  feet  from  the  exact  spot."  He 
said  further  to  me,  "We  came  into  town  and  kept  on  and  made  our 
first  stop  right  in  front  of  the  court  house,  where  we  now  are." 
********** 

He  then  told  me  he  had  frequently  thereafter  tried  to  locate  the 
route  by  which  they  had  come ;  and  that  he  had  decided  that  it  was 
near  the  line  of  the  main  line  of  the  Illinois  Central  railroad. 

My  recollection  of  the  event  is  about  as  Major  Whitney  has  here 
given  it.  Although  he  in  his  account  of  the  Decatur  visit  has 
ignored  the  presence  in  the  company  of  any  but  himself  and  Lin- 
coln, there  were  in  fact  several  of  us. 

In  my  paper  read  before  the  state  historical  society  at  the 
annual  meeting  in  January,  1905,  on  page  104  of  our  publication 
no.  10,  in  treating  of  the  Bloomington  convention  of  1856,  I  speak 
at  large  of  this  visit  to  Decatur  and  of  the  persons  with  Mr.  Lin- 
coln. 

Yours, 

J.  O.  CUNNINGHAM 


64  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

APPENDIX  U 

EXTRACT  FROM  THE  CHARLESTON  DAILY  NEWS, 
SEPTEMBER  12,  1912 

The  Daily  News  has  been  asked  where  and  how  the  Lincoln- 
Hanks  people  came  from  Indiana  to  Illinois.  It  is  certain  they 
came  in  the  spring  of  1831  by  going  to  Vincennes,  then  to  Lawrence- 
ville  and  started  for  Vandalia,  going  in  what  we  would  now  call 
the  Cumberland  Road  at  Ewington.  They  went  to  Vandalia, 
and  there  they  called  on  William  Lee  D.  Ewing,  asking  for  the 
Radleys  in  Coles  County,  and  John  Hanks,  somewhere  up  in  the 
"Sangamaw"  country.  Ewing  seemed  to  have  known  the 
Hanks  and  Lincolns  in  Kentucky  but  while  the  writer  asked 
Dennis  Hanks  how  they  happened  to  know  Ewing,  the  answer 
was  lost  by  an  interruption. 

Ewing  was  either  a  state  senator  or  something  like  that  at  the 
"time  and  he  seemed  to  know  where  Hanks  and  Radley  lived,  for 
he  explained  that  while  there  was  a  bridge  across  the  Kaskaskia 
or  Okaw  river  at  Vandalia,  there  were  no  bridges  up  on  the 
Decatur  branch  of  the  Sangamon  river.  That  they  would  have 
to  back  track  to  Ewington,  which  seemed  to  be  a  town  Ewing  was 
interested  in,  and  then  they  should  go  northeast  on  the  bracks  [?] 
between  the  Kaskaskia  Little  Wabash  and  Embarras  rivers,  which 
passed  through  Coles  county,  and  go  to  Paradise,  where  Radley 
was  running  for  coroner  in  the  new  county  of  Coles,  the  election 
being  in  August.  They  went  there  and  stayed  between  spring 
and  fall  and  then  went  to  John  Hanks'  clearing  in  Macon  county. 
That  they  crossed  the  Kaskaskia  or  Okaw  either  at  Cooks  Mills 
on  the  Charleston  and  Springfield  trace,  or  at  Bagdad  on  the 
Paris  and  Springfield  trace  which  join  northwest  and  it  was 
thought  there  was  where  a  mighty  city  would  be  located,  but 
not  so. 

Thomas  Lincoln  and  wife  lived  near  the  John  Hanks  vicinity 
that  winter  of  1831-32  and  then  went  back  to  Paradise  as  they 
had  the  ague  and  wanted  to  go  back  to  Indiana  but  could  not 
raise  the  money. 

Abraham  Lincoln  was  of  age  and  stayed  with  John  Hanks  and 
never  lived  in  Coles  county.  The  "calvacade"  never  went  to 
Springfield. 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  65 

The  Lincolns  except  Abraham,  and  the  Johnstons  and  Hanks 
except  John  settled  in  Coles  and  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  their 
descendants  live  in  Coles  to  this  date. 

These  are  the  facts  about  "Marking  the  Lincoln  Way,"  which 
was  the  most  egregious  fake  ever  touted  in  any  country.  And,  yet, 
there  must  be  salaries,  you  must  know. — J.  K.  Rardin,  Charleston, 
September  1(T,  1912. 


EXTRACT  FROM  THE  CHARLESTON  DAILY  NEWS, 
NOVEMBER  29,  1912 

The  alleged  professor  in  Champaign  who  is  talking  about  the 
Lincoln  Way  is  a  fool.  Again,  and  again,  the  Lincolns  did  not  go 
to  Vincennes,  but  to  Mt.  Carmel.  They  never  crossed  the  Em- 
barras  at  all,  but  having  meagre  horse  sense  they  never  crossed 
the  Little  Wabash  till  they  got  near  the  source  about  Ewington. 
They  never  went  to  Paris  because  there  was  no  national  road  at 
that  time  and  the  county  seat  was  near  Martinsville.  The  near- 
est government  land  was  at  Palestine,  and  the  road  went  as  near 
as  possible  to  Charleston  where  everybody  walked  or  rode  horse- 
back to  Palestine  and  it  took  two  days,  as  any  old  settler  yet  living 
can  tell  you,  and  the  records  and  affidavits  say  so.  The  old  Coles 
County  History  tells  so  and  gives  the  old  settlers  and  many  histories 
of  them  telling  how  they  came  and  entered. 

Nobody  was  such  a  fool  as  to  go  northeast  to  Paris  from  Pales- 
tine and  then  go  southeast,  losing  about  30  miles  out  of  the  way, 
when  it  was  but  25  miles  on  the  York  and  Charleston  road  which 
was  a  freight  trail  to  the  nearest  point  on  the  Wabash  river. 

Besides,  all  the  Lincolns,  Hanks  and  the  family  said  they  did 
not  come  through  Charleston  or  Paris;  that  if  they  had  gone  to 
Paris  they  would  have  taken  the  St.  Mary  and  Paris-Springfield 
trace,  which  was  direct  to  the  Hanks  near  Decatur  and  twelve 
miles  south  of  Charleston  and  it  was  on  a  much  higher  ridge  which 
had  been  made  by  the  last  glacial  overflow. 

This  portion  of  Eastern  Illinois  knows  the  Lincolns  and  Hanks 
but  do  not  know  the  Doc  Cook  authorities  named  in  the  alleged 
Lincoln  Way  report. 


66  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

APPENDIX  V 
EXTRACT  FROM  ILLINOIS  INTELLIGENCER,  FEBRUARY  12,  1831 

Organization  of  Coles  County. — The  new  County  of  Coles, 
which  was  created  at  the  present  session  of  the  Legislature,  has 
been  organized,  and  Ambrose  Yocum,  elected  sheriff;  George  M. 
Hanson,  A.  Caldwell  and  Isaac  Lewis,  County  Commissioners, 
and  Ichabod  Radley,  coroner.  This  is  expeditious  business. 

APPENDIX  W 
LETTER  OF  G.  M.  MCCONNEL 

FAIRHOPE,  ALABAMA,  March  6,  1913 
CHAS.  M.  THOMPSON,  ESQ., 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
MY  DEAR  SIR: 

I  have  your  letter  of  the  21st  ult.  touching  what  I  heard  my 
father  say  of  having  seen  the  Lincoln  family  on  its  way  into 
Illinois.  Sometime  about  1830  or  1831 — I  have  no  means  here 
of  verifying  the  precise  time,  though  it  may  be  readily  learned 
from  the  Illinois  legislation  records — my  father,  Murray  Mc- 
Connel,  was  a  member  of  the  lower  house  of  the  legislature  from 
Morgan  county.  He  was  a  resident  of  that  county — in  Jackson- 
ville—from about  1827  to  his  death  in  1869. 

About  1858,  or  about  the  time  Mr.  Lincoln  was  winning  his 
first  real  fame,  I  heard  my  father  telling  some  gentlemen  whose 
identity  I  then  knew  but  have  now  forgotten,  of  the  first  time  he 
ever  saw  "Abe."  As  I  recall  it  he  told  them  of  being  in  a  town  on 
the  Okaw  (now  Kaskaskia)  river.  I  understood  the  town  to  be 
Vandalia,  then  the  state  capital,  and  I  got  the  impression  that  he 
was  there  in  connection  with  his  membership  in  the  legislature. 
It  is  possible  that  his  errand  there  may  have  been  one  of  business 
with  the  state  supreme  court,  but  I  was  impressed  that  it  was 
legislative,  and  quite  certainly  in  my  memory  it  was  about  the 
time  named,  1830  or  31. 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  67 

The  Okaw  was  "out  of  its  banks,"  much  more  on  the  town  side 
than  on  the  other.  Coming  out,  with  two  or  three  others  from  a 
house  of  the  town — a  tavern  as  I  understood — not  far  from  noon, 
the  attention  of  the  party  was  drawn  to  a  wagon,  obviously  a 
"mover's"  outfit,  then  approaching  from  the  east  to  the  river 
and  across  the  stream  from  the  town.  The  bridge  was  quite  close 
to  the  farther  side  of  the  swollen  stream,  and  was  not  submerged 
though  the  water  was  nearly  or  quite  up  to  the  floor.  Someone 
from  the  wagon  was  examining  the  narrow  strip  of  water  at  the 
farther  end  of  the  bridge,  evidently  with  a  view  to  testing  the  prac- 
ticability of  crossing.  The  onlookers  knew  that  it  would  be  easy  to 
reach  and  cross  the  bridge,  but  knew  also  that  the  road  from  the 
hither  end  of  the  bridge  across  a  wide,  flat  bottom  to  the  town  was 
an  earth  "thown  up"  from  the  earth  at  the  sides.  If  that  could 
be  followed  it  was  comparatively  a  good  road  for  those  days,  but 
if  a  stranger  to  its  course  strayed  into  the  ditches  or  pools  at  the 
side,  it  would  be  almost  certain  disaster. 

The  man  from  the  wagon  crossed  the  water  to  the  bridge,  sound- 
ing it  as  he  came  with  a  long,  wooden,  handle  of  the  ox  whip  he 
carried,  then  crossed  the  bridge  and  waded  out  toward  the  town, 
again  sounding  the  water,  from  side  to  side,  occasionally  pausing 
and  appearing  to  be  "taking  his  bearings,"  and  determining  the 
course  the  thrown  up  roadway  must  follow,  as  well  as  was  possible 
from  seeing  where  the  road  climbed  the  slope  to  the  town.  They 
supposed  this  leader  would  cross  on  foot — "he's  a  tall  fellow," 
said  one  to  the  other,  "the  water  is  not  up  to  his  hips" — and  that 
the  others  in  the  wagon  would  drive  close  after  him.  But  present- 
ly, after  a  long  and  careful  look  ahead,  the  man  went  back  to  the 
bridge,  stopped,  beckoned  to  the  wagon  passengers  to  drive  to 
and  over  the  bridge,  vaulted  onto  the  back  of  one  of  the  oxen  of 
the  team  and  drove  boldly  out  along  the  roadway,  of  which  he 
had  explored  only  the  beginning. 

The  party  of  onlookers  then  became  deeply  interested  and 
knowing  the  risk  if  the  team  missed  the  road,  went  quickly  toward 
the  river  and  began  to  cast  about  for  means  of  assisting  should 
need  arise.  There  were  two  or  three  narrow  escapes  from  wander- 
ing from  the  way,  boldly,  and  skilfully  met  each  time  by  the — 
as  they  soon  could  see — youthful  driver,  and  in  a  short  time  the 


68  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

team  drew  out  of  the  water  and  stopped  to  rest,  the  long  legged 
youth  calmly  dropping  from  his  ox-back  seat  and  investigating 
the  condition  of  the  wagon  and  contents.  He  was,  or  seemed  to  be, 
some  seventeen  years  old,  bare  headed  and  bare  footed,  with  his 
long  legs  thrust  through  a  pair  of  buck  skin  trousers  which  the 
water  they  had  been  in  had  shrivelled  up  till  they  did  not  reach 
his  knees. 

"That,"  said  my  father,  "was  my  first  sight  of  Abe  Lincoln. 
I  liked  his  cool  nerve  and  his  cheery  laugh  as  he  looked  at  his 
shrunken  trousers  and  cheerily  told  us  who  the  family  were,  and 
where  they  were  going.  He  is  the  same  kind  of  fellow  yet." 

I  was  too  young  then,  and  too  eager  in  my  own  opening  life  to 
appreciate  what  such  recollections  might  be  worth,  and  after  the 
war  was  over  I  was  still  too  eager  in  my  own  pursuits,  and  it  was 
too  short  a  time  after  the  war,  when  my  father  followed  Mr. 
Lincoln  into  "the  silent  land"  for  me  to  even  begin  to  "measure 
the  perspective"  and  the  real  altitude  of  many  of  the  men  whom  I, 
as  a  boy  and  youth,  had  known. 

I  am  sorry  I  did  not  ask  endless  questions  and  learn  a  thousand 
details,  but  I  did  not,  and  I  can  only  impart  these  dim  outlines. 
I  cannot  guess  if  what  I  have  told  you  will  be  of  any  value  to  you 
or  not,  but  valuable  or  worthless  they  are  truthful  as  far  as  they 
go  and  I  give  them  to  you  more  than  gladly. 

Faithfully  yours, 

H.  M.   McCONNEL 

APPENDIX  X 
LETTER  OF  COMMISSIONER  OF  GENERAL  LAND  OFFICE 

DEPARTMENT  OF  THE  INTERIOR 
GENERAL  LAND  OFFICE 

WASHINGTON,  January  21,  1913 
MR.  CHAS.  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
SIR: 

Upon  receipt  of  your  letter  of  January  11,  1913,  a  search  was 
begun  to  obtain  any  facts  required  to  meet  your  questions  as  to  the 


THE  LINCOLN  WAY  69 

location  of  the  Cumberland  road  in  Illinois,  and  I  regret  to  say 
that  no  data  of  value  have  thus  far  been  obtained. 

This  national  road  was  authorized  by  act  of  Congress  of  March 
29,  1806  (Statute  laws,  2 :  357),  to  be  built  westward  from  Cumber- 
land, Maryland.  This  place  was  important  as  the  inland  terminus 
of  the  commercial  transportation  project  of  water  navigation  upon 
the  Potomac  river,  which  was  conceived  by  George  Washington 
before  the  Revolution,  and  actively  promoted,  completed  and 
carried  on  until  1825  under  the  plans  which  he,  as  a  civil  engineer, 
made  and  supported  during  his  life  after  the  war. 

A  subsequent  act  of  July  2,  1836,  provided  means  for  extending 
the  road  through  Ohio,  Indiana,  and  Illinois,  because  the  act  of 
May  15,  1820,  had  empowered  the  president  to  appoint  com- 
missioners to  lay  out  said  road  from  Wheeling,  Virginia,  to  the 
left  bank  of  the  Mississippi  river  (Statute  laws,  3 :  604) ;  and  from 
this  it  is  believed  that  all  papers  of  such  appointments,  and  the  re- 
turns or  reports  of  the  survey  under  them,  must  have  been  made 
to  the  United  States  treasury  department,  which  was  intrusted 
with  the  appropriations  and  the  disbursements  of  expense.  ,  This 
belief  is  supported  by  the  fact  that  no  such  returns  of  survey  are 
known  to  be  in  this  office. 

While  the  date  of  laying  out  the  road  westward  from  Terre  Haute 
is  not  of  record  here,  it  must  be  subsequent  to  1820;  and  your 
desire  to  have  its  position  made  known  through  the  return  of  rec- 
tangular township  surveys,  cannot  be  gratified,  because  all  that 
area  was  surveyed  between  1816  and  1822,  when  the  Cumberland 
road  had  not  reached  Illinois. 

Neither  is  there  any  information  to  be  derived  from  those  early 
surveys  on  the  position  of  Indian  trails.  A  careful  inspection  of 
the  plats  of  survey  (originals  of  which  are  on  file  and  open  to  ex- 
amination in  the  office  of  auditor  of  state,  Springfield,  Illinois) 
has  shown  that  the  surveyors  noted  only  their  intersection  of 
brooks  and  creeks,  and  made  no  note  of  trails  or  roads. 

This  office  would  be  glad  to  assist  in  the  worthy  plan  of  making 
known  the  exact  location  of  the  road  which  was  so  important  eighty 
years  ago,  and  by  which  the  Lincoln  family  is  said  to  have  reached 
the  home  in  the  Sangamon  region,  but  there  seems  to  be  no  record 


70  LIBRARY  BOARD  REPORT 

here  accessible.  Further  inquiry  will  be  made  when  opportunity 
occurs,  at  the  Library  of  Congress,  and  if  useful  facts  are  found, 
you  will  be  further  advised. 

Very  respectfully, 

FRED  DENNETT 
Commissioner 


APPENDIX   Y 
EXTRACT  FROM  CHICAGO  DEMOCRAT,  SEPTEMBER  22,  1858 

"Arriving  at  Charleston,  a  vast  throng  was  found  waiting  the 
procession,  and  welcomed  it  with  cheers  and  huzzas.  From  the 
Capitol  House  to  the  Court  House,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
street,  a  banner  was  stretched,  on  which  was  sketched  an  emi- 
grant wagon,  drawn  by  two  yoke  of  oxen,  driven  by  a  young 
stripling,  and  over  the  caricature  the  words  "Abe's  entrance  into 
Charleston  thirty  years  ago."  When  it  is  remembered  that 
thirty  years  ago  Mr.  Lincoln  emigrated  to  this  place  from  Ken- 
tucky, driving  his  father's  team  a  la  design  on  the  banner,  this  had 
peculiar  significance.  It  attracted  much  attention  during  the 
day."  [Referring  to  the  Lincoln-Douglas  debate  at  Charleston.] 

APPENDIX  Z 

LETTER  OF  W.  O.  BENNETT 

CHARLESTON,  ILLINOIS,  November  14,  1912 
MR.  CHARLES  M.  THOMPSON, 

CHAMPAIGN,  ILLINOIS. 
DEAR  MR.  THOMPSON: 

I  had  a  talk  with  Mrs.  Chapman  last  evening  and  she  said  there 
was  no  truth  whatever  in  the  report  that  the  Hanks  family  stopped 
at  Grandview  and  located  in  Edgar  county,  while  the  Lincolns 
went  on  to  Decatur.  She  said  that  the  entire  party  went  all  the 
way  together  and  all  located  in  Macon  county. 

Yours  truly, 
W.  O.  BENNETT 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOI9-URBANA 


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